FROM   THE   LIBRARY  OF 
REV.    LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON.   D.  D. 

bequeathed  by  him  to 

the  library  of 

prInceton  theological  seminary 


Scctloii     "^5(0^ 


o^r^.,..  ,^  JAN  8  mi 

Poems       V^., 
Charades,  Inscriptions 


OF 


^^ 


Pope  Leo  X/// 


INCLUDING  THE  REVISED  COMPOSITIONS   OF  HIS 
EARLY  LIFE  IN  CHRONOLOGICAL  ORDER 


With  English  Translation  and  Notes 


H.    T.    HKNRV 


OVBRBROOK    SEMINARY 


THE  DOLPHIN  PRESS 

American  Ecclesiastical  Review 

New  York— Philadelphia 

1902 


Copyright,  1002 
American  Ecclesiastical  EE^^EW 


THE  DOLPHIN  PRESS 
New  York  and  Philadelphia 


POEMS  OF 

POPE  LEO  XIII 


INDEX. 


CAKMINA. 

PAOB 

Ad  Vincentium  Pavanium 2 

De  Invalitudine  Sua 4 

Rogerius  A.  C 6 

LUDICRA. 

Lac-rima 10 

Arti-Giano . .  12 

Can-Estro    I'o 

Sol-Fanello 20 

CAKMINA. 

A  Monsignor  Orfei  * 22 

Idem  Latine  24 

A  Fulvio  Bellelio 26 

In  Maeviuni  28 

In  Nicolaum  Pompilium 32 

In  Petrum  Penna _..  34 

In  Serapliinum  Paradisium 30 

In  Sanctem  Petrazzinium 38 

In  Ilermelindam  Montesperelli 40 

In  Rosalindam  Bastiani  42 

Ars  Photographica  44 

In  Galium 46 

Damnatorum  ad  Inferos  Lamentabilis  Vox 48 

Eicorso  alia  Vergine 50 

Ad  Aloisium  Rotelli  Can 52 

Ad  Aloisium  Rufum 56 

Gertrudi  Sterbiniae  58 

Idem  Sororis  Opem  Implorat 62 

Ad  Josephum  Fratrem 64 

*  Original  texts  (Latin  or  Italian)  appear  on  this  page. 
vi 


CONTENTS. 


POEMS. 

PAGE.  NOTES* 

To  Vincenzo  Pavani,  S.  J 3  (267) 

On  His  Sickness o  (267) 

Euggero  Kepels  the  Wanton  7  (269) 

CHARADES. 

Lac-rima 11 

Arti-Giano 13  (269) 

Can-Estro    :.  17   (270) 

Sol-Fanello 21 

POEMS. 

IdemLatine  23  (271) 

To  Monsignor  Orfei 25  (271) 

To  Fulvio  Bellelio 27 

Eccentric   Maevius  29  (272) 

Kicolo  Pompili 33 

Pietro  Penna 35 

Serafino  Paradisi  37  (272) 

Sante  Petrazzini 39 

Hermelinda  Montesperelli  41 

Resalind  Bastiani 43 

Photography 45  (273) 

To  Gallus  47  (273) 

"O  for  One  Hour!" 49 

Recourse  to  the  Virgin  in  Temptation 51 

To  Canon  Aloysius  Rotelli 63 

ToLuigiEuffo 57 

The  Prayer  of  Julius  59 

To  the  Same  63 

His  Life  and  Fortunes 65  (273) 

♦The  figures  in  parenthesis  indicate  the  pages  where  Notes  are  found, 
vii 


INDEX 


PAGB 

Ad  Jeremiam  Brunelli 70 

Ad  Joannem  Arnolfum  Servanzi 72 

S.   Herculanus  74 

In  Honorem  S.  Herculani  76 

S.  Constantius  82 

Hy mnus  1 84 

Hymnus  II.. 88 

S.  Felicianus 94 

Ad  Sanctum  Felicianum 94 

In  Sacram  Familiam. 

Hymnus  1 104 

Hymnus  II 108 

Hymnus  III 112 

Ad  Florum 116 

Ne  Se  Voluptatum  lUecebris  Capi  Patiatur 118 

"  Justitiam  Colui "    120 

Frustrata   Impiorum  Spe  Pontificum  Pomanorum  Series  Non 

Intermittitur 1 22 

Frustrata'  Impiorum  Spe  Pontificum  Eomanorum  Series  Non 

Intermittitur 124 

Ecclesiae  Auspicatus  Triumphus  126 

Sanctus  Joannes  Baptista 128 

In  Jesum  Christum  Baptizatum 132 

In  Ilhid  Psalmi  xiii 136 

In  Illud  Eccl.  xxxiv,  16 138 

In  Platea  Maiore  prope  Templum  Princeps 142 

In  Parte  Oppidi  Superiore  prope  Avitas  Pecciorum  Aedes  144 

Ad  Beatam  Virginem  Mariam  (I) 148 

Ad  Beatam  Virginem  Mariam  (I) 150 

Ad  Beatam  Virginem  Mariam  (II)  152 

Ad  Beatam  Virginem  Mariam  (II)   154 

Praesidium  Divinae  Matris 156 

Adiutrici  Christianorum  160 

In  Obitu  Josephi  Pecci  Card.  Germani  Fratrh. 

loseph 168 

loachim  168 

In  Mariam  Elisam  Bernezzo  170 

viii 


CONTENTS 


PAGE.      NOTES 

To  Geremia  Brnnelli  71  (277) 

To  John  Amulf  Servanzi 73 

St.  Herculanus  75 

Saint  Herculanus 77  (278 ) 

St.  Constantius  83 

Hymn  1 85  (280) 

Hymnn 89   (280) 

St.  Felicianus 95 

To  Saint  Felician 97  (282) 

Hymns  in  Honor  of  the  Holy  Family. 

Vesper  Hymn  105  (282) 

Matin  Hymn 109 

Hymn  at  Lauds 113 

To  Florus  117 

To  the  Same  119 

''I  Have  Loved  Justice"    121 

Versione  libera 123 

* '  Even  to  the  Consummation  of  the  World  " 125 

An  Augury  of  Triumph  127 

St.  John  the  Baptist 129 

The  Baptism  of  Christ 133 

On  the  Words  of  Psalm  xiii 137 

On  Eccl.  xxxiv,  16  139 

Song  of  the  Two  Fountains 143  (284) 

In  L'pper  Carpineto,  near  the  Ancient  Mansion  of  the 

Peccis 135 

Versione  libera  149  (287) 

A  Sigh  of  the  Faithful  Soul  151 

Versione  libera 153 

Supplication  of  the  Loving  Soul  155 

Our  Lady's  Eosary  157  (288) 

To  the  "  Helper  of  Christians  " 161  (289) 

On  the  Death  of  his  Brother   Card.  Joseph  Pecci. 

Joseph 169  (293) 

Joachim 169 

"  For  Love  is  Strong  as  Death  "  171 

ix 


INDEX 


PAGE 

De  S.  Petro  Caelestino  V 172 

Ad  Societatem  Romanam  luventutis  Catholicae 174 

Ad  Sodales  Arcadicos. 

Ad  Canendum  Invitat 178 

Neander  Heracleus  Arcadiae  Laudes  Commemorat    180 

Ad  Guilelraum  Massaia  188 

Virgine  Favente  Fiat  Unum  Ovile    190 

Sub  EfBgie  Virginis  Guadalupanae  apud  Mexicanos 192 

Julius  Adolescens  Deiparam  Matrem  a  Bono  Consilio  Supplex 

Implorat  194 

Ob  Memoriam  Auspicatissimi  Eventus,  etc 198 

Deo  et  Virgini  Matri  Extrema  Leonis  Vota  204 

Deo  et  Virgini  Instante  Morte  Vota 208 

Julio  Sterbinio  Familiari 208 

Julii  Sterbini  Filiis  212 

Ob  Nuptias 214 

Tenui  Victu  Contentus  Ingluviem  Fuge  (Ad  Fabricium  Rufum)  216 

Ineuntis  Saeculi  Auspicia 224 

In  Praeludio  Natalis  Jesu  Christi  Domini  Nostri  230 

In  Praeludio  Natalis  Jesu  Cliristi  Domini  Nostri  284 

INSCRIPTIONES. 

Anna  Alex.  F.  Prosperia 240 

Gertrudi  Sterbiniae  242 

Dynastae  Slgnienses 244 

Eerum  Mortalium  Vices 248 

Insana  Voluptatum  Cupiditas 250 

Voluptas  Siren  252 

Concupiscentia  Oculorum 254 

Pecuniam  Infinite  Concupiscens 256 

Superbia  Vitae  258 

Idem  Argumentum  260 

In  Mortali  Vita  Quae  Superest  262 

Age  lam,  O  Leo   , 2G4 


CONTENTS 


PAGE.     NOTES 

St.  Celestine  V 173 

' '  Kemember  tliy  Creator  in  the  Days  of  thy  Youth  " 175 

To  the  Arcadians. 

Sing,  Ye  Arcadians! 179  (295) 

Praise  of  Arcadia 181 

To  Guglielmo  Card.  Massaia 189 

Let  there  be  One  Fold 191 

The  Virgin  of  Guadalupe  193  (318) 

The  Prayer  of  Julius  195 

"  Praised  be  Christ  who  Loves  the  Franks"  197  (299) 

Italian  Version 205 

Death 207  (304) 

Julius  Sterbini  209  (304) 

Love  of  the  Sacred  Heart  213 

Epithalamium  215  (305) 

On  Frugality  and  Long  Life  217  (306) 

The  Opening  Century  225  (313) 

The  Eve  of  Christmas 231 

A  Christmas  Eve  Revery 285 

INSCRIPTIONS. 

Anne,  Daughter  of  Alex.  Prosper!  241  (317) 

Gertrude  Sterbini 243  (320) 

Palace  of  the  Segnis 245 

Vicissitudes  of  our  Mortal  Life 249 

Insensate  Love  of  Pleasure  251 

Pleasure,  a  Siren  253 

Concupiscence  of  the  Eyes 255 

Boundless  Craving  for  Wealth   257 

The  Pride  of  Life £59 

The  Same  2G1 

For  the  Rest  of  My  Mortal  Life  2G3 

Forward,  then,  Leo 265 


WHEN,  in  1897,  Andrew  Lang,  the  foremost  man  of 
letters  in  England,  cabled  to  the  New  York 
World  his  exquisite  translation  of  the  Epistola  ad  Fahri- 
dum  Rufum,  the  general  reading  public  was  made  aware 
of  the  poetical  attainments  of  Leo  XIII.  The  Ode  on 
the  Opening  Century,  which  appeared  three  years  later, 
was  accordingly  welcomed  with  the  greatest  interest, 
and  was  translated  into  all  the  tongues  of  Europe, 
Andrew  Lang  and  Francis  Thompson  figuring  promi- 
nently amidst  the  host  of  its  translators  into  English. 
The  New  York  Independent  pubhshed  a  correct  and 
vigorous  version  by  its  Editor,  AVilliam  Hayes  Ward, 
as  well  as  an  editorial  expressing  deepest  admiration  at 
the  extraordinary  illustration  furnished  by  the  Ode,  of 
the  intellectual  powers  of  a  nonagenarian  Pontiff. 

The  Pope,  however,  had  been  writing  Latin  verses 
ever  since  the  year  1822,  and  had  covered  well-nigh  all 
the  fields  of  poetic  endeavor.  Stately  odes,  sparkling 
jeux  d^  esprit,  charades,  heroic  hymns,  familiar  epigrams 
on  and  to  his  friends,  quatrains,  inscriptions — a  wealth 
of  outpourings  of  head  and  heart.  Interesting  as  all 
these  are  because  of  the  subhme  dignity  of  the  Author, 
they  become,  if  possible,  even  more  valuable  as  mirror- 
ing the  genial,  cultured,  affectionate,  devout  soul  of  the 
man  and  the  priest.  Among  the  many  biographies 
already  published,  a  volume  of  the  Pope's  verse,  reveal- 


ing  in  his  own  words  the  inner  heart  of  the  great 
Pontiff,  might  well  seem  indispensable. 

To  the  educated  man  who  still  retains  some  interest 
in  the  classic  rhythms  of  his  collegiate  study,  such  a 
volume  should  appeal  wdth  special  force,  as  it  furnishes 
a  pleasant  illustration  of  modern  themes  dressed  out  in 
the  diction  of  Virgil  and  Horace.  The  Pope  has  used 
many  metres — hexameters,  pentameters,  iambic  di- 
meters, hendecasyllabics,  Sapphics,  Alcaics,  the  elegiac 
couplet,  and  Ambrosian  quantitative  stanzas. 

The  poems  are  arranged  chronologically,  and  thus 
become  a  versified  commentary,  as  dehghtful  as  it  is 
authentic,  on  the  marvel  of  the  Pope's  life  and  labors. 
The  volume  contains  an  ample  Appendix  of  Notes — 
historical,  critical,  exegetical. 

OvERBROOK,  May^  1902. 


POEMS  OF 

POPE  LEO  XIII 


CARMINA 


POEMS 


CARMINA 


A.N.  MDOCCXXn 


AD  VINCENTIVM  PAVANIVM 

E  S.  I. 

Nomine,  Vincentl,  quo  tu,  Pa  vane,  vocaris, 
Parvulus  atque  inf ans  Peccius  ipse  vocor.  ^ 


Quas  es  virtutes  magnas,  Pavane,  sequutus 
O  utinam  possim  Peccius  ipse  sequi. 


1)  Iinix>sita  auctori  ad  sacrum  baptisma  fuerant  nomiua  loachimo,  Vin- 
centio,  Raphael!,  Aloisio.  Sed  mater  eius  Vincentium  appellari  maluit  ob 
honorem  Vincentii  Ferrerii,  cuius  extitit  cultrix  eximia.  Quod  ille  nomen 
serius  cum  loachimo  commutavit. 


POEMS 


TO  VINCENZO  PAVANI,  S.  J. 

(1822) 

1  HY  very  name,  Pavani,  Vincent  styled, 
Was  mine — a  little  child/ 

What  mighty  virtues  thou  didst  well  pursue, 
Would  I  might  follow,  too  ! 


^)  The  author  had  received  in  baptism  the  names  Joachim,  Vincent,  Raph-r 
ael,  Aloysius.  But  his  mother  preferred  that  he  should  he  called  Vincent,  in 
honor  of  Vincent  Ferrer,  towards  whom  she  was  very  devout.  Later  in  life 
the  author  preferred  to  be  called  Joachim. 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCXXX 

DE  INVALETVDINE  SVA 

IrUBER  bis  denos,  loachim,  vix  crescis  in  annos; 
Morborum  heu  quanta  vi  miser  obrueris! 

luverit  hos  fando  tristes  memorare  dolores, 
Et  vitae  aerumnas  dicere  carminibus. 

Nocte  vigil,  tarda  componis  membra  quiete: 
Viribus  effetis  esca  nee  ulla  levat 

Languentem  stomachum;  depresso  lumine  ocelli 
Caligant;  ictum  saepe  dolore  caput, 

Mox  gelida  arentes  misere  depascitur  artus 
Febris  edax,  mox  et  torrida  discruciat. 

lam  macies  vultu  apparet,  iam  pectus  anhelum  est; 
Deficis  en  toto  corpore  languidulus! 

Quid  tibi  blandiris,  longos  quid  prospicis  annos  ? 
Atropos  horrendum  mortis  adurget  iter. 

Tunc  ego:   ''  non  trepida  frangar  formidine:  mortem, 
Fortis,  dum  properat,  laetus  et  opperiar. 

Non  me  labentis  pertentant  gaudia  vitae, 
Aeternis  inhians  nil  peritura  moror. 

Attingens  patriam,  felix  est  advena,  felix 
iSi  valet  ad  portum  ducere  nauta  ratem." 
4 


POEMS 


ON  HIS  SICKNESS 

(1830) 

sAl  youth  of  twenty  years — how  sickly  and  how  spare! 
Ah,  to  what  natural  shocks  my  flesh  is  heir ! 

Haply  to  utter  here  my  memorable  grief, 

May  bring,  if  not  surcease,  some  sad  relief. 

Through  sleepless  nights  in  vain  I  fretfully  compose 
My  weak  and  weary  limbs  to  seek  repose. 

My  food  no  strength  affords;  my  drooping  lids  complain 
Of  light;  and  oft  my  head  is  racked  with  pain. 

Anon  my  parched  limbs  a  wasting  ague  chills, 
Anon  with  torrid  heats  of  fever  fills. 

Haggard  and  wan  my  face,  and  laboring  is  my  breath: 
Languid  I  walk  the  way  to  dusty  death. 

Why  shall  I  cheat  my  heart,  and  years  a-plenty  crave 
When  Atropos  compels  the  dreaded  grave  ? 

Rather  my  soul  will  speak:    "0  Death,  where  is  thy 
With  gladness  I  await  thy  triumphing  I         [sting  ? 

*'The  passing  shows  of  life  shall  not  disturb  my  peace, 
Who  long  to  taste  the  joy  that  cannot  cease. 

' '  Happy  the  exile' s  feet  to  press  the  Fatherland  ; 

Happy  the  storm-tossed  bark  to  gain  the  strand  !  * ' 
5 


GARMINA 


AF.  MDCOCXXXI 


ROGERIVS  A.  C. 


ADOI.ESCENS 


EFFRONTEM   MVLIEREM   DEPELLIT 

(jUID  fucata  genas,  quid,  vultu  habituque  proterva, 
Mente  agitas  ?  Procul  hinc  siste,  Amarylli,  pedem. 

Letiferum  stillas  meretricio  ab  ore  venenum, 
Infandum  venis,  proh  pudor,  ulcus  alls. 

* )  Auctori  amicus  et  in  sludiig  litterarum  sociuB. 


POEMS 


EUGGERO^  REPELS  THE  WANTON 

(1831) 

W ITH  red-flaming  cheek,  with  gaudy  array, 
What  snare  dost  thou  plan?     AmarylHs,  away! 

For  a  poison  of  asps  is  under  thy  tongue, 
And  a  hideous  ulcer  thy  bosom  hath  wrung. 

1)  A  friend  and  fellow-student  of  the  Poet. 


LUDICRA 


MDCCCXXXIV 


CHARADES 

(1834) 


LUDICBA 


LAC-RIMA 

lOSEPHO    LOVATELLIO 
SODALI 

lRIMUM,  mi  Lovatelle,  cum  bibissem 
Phthisi  convalui  ocius  fugata. 

Cymbam,  quae  liquidis  natabat  undis, 
Alterum  maris  in  profunda  mersit. 

Quid  totum,  tibi  nosse  dant  ocelli 
Turgentes,  faciesque  luctuosa, 
Et  quae  nescia  comprimi  aut  domari 
Heu  matre  exanimi,  intimas  medullas 
Angit,  excruciatque  vis  doloris. 

(Parafrasi  itallana. ) ' 
Scarno  era  il  volto,  era  affannoso  e  fioco 
II  respiro,  e  un  venen  lento  e  sottile 
II  mio  frale  struggeva  a  poco  a  poco. 
Bevvi  il  primier,  o  Lovatel  gentile: 
Tosto  nell'arse  membra  inaridita 
Torno  piu  bella  a  rifiorir  la  vita. 

Del  mar  nel  seno  ondoso  agile  e  snello 
Dei  remiganti  fra  il  giulivo  grido 
Veleggiando  sen  giva  il  mio  burchiello, 
E  gia  toccava  il  sospirato  lido: 
Quand'ecco,  ahi  dura  sorte!  il  mio  secondo 
Del  mar  lo  fea  calar  nell'imo  fondo. 

Ben,  il  total  qual  sia,  veggo  in  te  stesso: 
Da  che  perdesti  I'adorata  madre 
]jO  veggo  sul  tuo  ciglio  ognora  espresso 
Nel  volto,  nelle  gote  umide  ed  adre; 
E  in  quel  che  si  ti  crucia  e  mente  e  core 
Acerbo,  inconsolabile  dolore. 
10 


CHABADES 


L4C-RIMA^ 

I  DRANK  the  first,  my  friend, 
And  phthisis  had  an  end. 

But  with  the  next,  my  boat 
Must  cease,  at  last,  to  float. 

The  ichole  your  eyes  have  known, 
Your  paDid  cheeks  have  shown; 
For  oh  !  the  swelling  tide 
No  bravest  heart  could  hide, 
When  your  dear  mother  .died. 

(  Translation  of  Italian  paraphrase. ) 

My  face  was  gaunt,  my  breath  was  scant; 

A  subtle  poison  stealing  slowly 
Through  all  my  limbs  did  strength  supplant 

With  weakness  and  wdth  melancholy: 
But  when  I  drank  my  first,  dear  Lovatello, 
I  felt  renewed,  and  quite  another  fellow! 

How  lightly  on  the  swelling  deep 

My  little  boat  was  nimbly  dancing, 

While  voice  and  oar  with  rhythmic  sweep 
Welcomed  the  shore  so  near  advancing: 

So  near,  and  yet  so  far  !     Alas,  we  reckoned 

Without  our  host — our  bark  had  sprung  a  second ! 

I  see  my  lohole  bedim  your  eye; 

For  when  you  lost  your  dearest  mother, 
Your  dewy  cheek  could  not  belie 

The  grief  you  vainly  sought  to  smother. 
Ah,  friend,  it  is  the  witness  of  a  sorrow 
That  from  no  human  help  surcease  may  borrow. 

*)  Lac  =  milk ;  Rima  =  leak ;  Lacrima  =  tear. 
11 


LUDICRA 


ARTI-GIANO 

JL/  I  barbaro  oppressor  f atte  ludibrio 
Lasciar  I'amato  nido 

Di  Grecia  un  di  le  prime,  abbiette  e  povere 
Errar  di  lido  in  lido: 
Ma  viste  poi  della  ridente  Ausonia 
Le  spiaggie  ed  il  bel  seno, 
Sull'ospital  terreno 
Si  ricovraro  alfin. 

(Arti)      Ebber  qui  vanto,  e  qui  belle  rifulsero 
Dello  splendor  primiero. 
A  noi  I'antica  gloria 
In  van  s'attenta  I'invido  straniero 
Rapir;  tu  pure,  o  Silvia, 
Di',  se  il  presume  indarno 
Or  che  d' Italia  in  sulle  rive  d'Arno 
Passeggi  il  bel  giardin. 

Tenne  Valtro  qual  re  del  Lazio  il  seggio 

Nella  remota  etade, 

Poi  fu  signor  dell'  Umbria,  e  poi  d'Etruria 

Domino  le  contrade: 

E  ge  fola  non  e,  se  fosca  istoria 

Al  ver  non  contradice, 

Fu  lieto,  fu  felice 

II  lungo  suo  regnar. 
12 


CHARADES 


ARTI-GIANO ' 
1  HE  sport  of  rude  barbarian  hordes, 

From  their  beloved  nest 
In  Greece,  of  old  my  first  strayed  far 

As  exiles,  sore  distressed. 
Till  dear  Ausonia's  laughing  fields 

Beheld  the  wanderers  come. 
And  on  her  hospitable  soil 

Build  an  enduring  home. 

Here  were  uplift  their  graceful  heads, 

Here  shone  their  splendors  old: 
Vainly  the  stranger  sought  to  win 

The  heritage  we  hold. 
But  tell  me,  Silvia,  if  he  still 

Search  vainly,  as  he  roves 
Beside  the  Arno's  classic  stream 

In  green  Italian  groves  ? 

My  second,  King  of  Latium,  held 

His  throne  long  years  ago: 
Next  Umbria,  then  Etruria  came 

His  laws  benign  to  know; 
For  (if  it  be  no  mythic  tale 

The  ancient  writers  tell) 
A  people  happy,  blithe,  content, 

Wisely  he  ruled  and  well. 

)  Artigiano  =  workman ;  Arti  =  the  Arts ;  Qiano  =  Janus. 
13 


LUDICRA 


{Oianoy  Uadoro  nume  di  Quirino  il  popolo, 
Nume  guerriero  e  forte 
Che  dischiudea  del  formidato  tempio 
La  sul  Tarpeo  le  porte, 
E  ad  esso,  in  un  pacifico 
Duce  e  patrono  loro, 

I  mercatanti  nel  romano  foro 
Piu  simulacri  alzar.^ 

Di  bisso  non  s'ammanta  non  di  porpora, 
Di  saio  vil  ricopre 

II  mio  total  le  membra;  ei  nell'inopia 
Delle  sue  man  coll'opre 

Sudate,  industri,  e  colle  veglie  assidue 
Pensiero  e  cura  ha  sola 
AlFumil  famigliuola 
Scarso  fornire  un  pan. 

Ed  e  felice  e  fortunato:  I'ansia 
Di  rea  passion  nol  morde. 
In  dolce  pace,  in  armonia  Concorde 
Lieto  trascorre  i  di. 


*)  Historici  scripsere  laiuim  regem  antiquishimum  Italiae  fuisse.  Reguavit 
in  Latio  et  in  agro  romano.  In  aliquibus  libris  reperitur  eura  etiam  in  Ket- 
ruria  regnavisse  et  in  Umbria.— lani  tomplum  acneum  cum  aeneo  signo  iii:Kta 
aliquos  scriptores  erat  apud  Capitolium  sen  Tarpeum  montem  in  foro  a 
Numa  Pompilio  positum. 

*)  In  porticibus  romani  fori  in  quibus  mercatores  et  foeneratores  frequen- 
tissime  habitabant,  erat  lanus  summus,  medius  et  imus.  Ilaec  lanus  summus 
ad  imum  perdocet  {Hot.  I,  Ep.  bi).—Postquam  oinnisres  viea  Januvi  ad  medium, 
fracta  est.  (Hor.  lib.  II,  Sat.  3).  (Ex  Forcellinio,  verbo :  lanus.) 

14 


CHARADES 


The  Romans  held  him  as  a  god/ 

Whose  valor  could  unlock 
The  portals  of  the  dreaded  shrine 

On  the  Tarpeian  rock. 
Patron  of  peace,  his  images 

Were  piously  displayed  ^ 
Where  money-lenders  in  the  mart 

Securely  plied  their  trade. 

In  purple  and  fine  linen  clad  ? 

Ah  no!  in  homespun  coarse 
My  whole  is  found;  in  poverty 

He  spends  his  vital  force:  * 

He  toils  and  sweats  and  watches  long, 

And  racks  his  weary  head 
How  he  may  win  for  wife  and  child 

A  scanty  loaf  of  bread. 

Yet  is  he  happy;  for  no  shapes 

Of  guilt  beset  his  way : 
In  peace  with  God  and  man  he  toils, 

Singing  the  livelong  day. 


1)  Historians  have  described  Janus  as  the  most  ancient  king  of  Italy.  He 
reigned  in  Latium  and  the  Roman  territory,  and,  as  certain  books  have  it, 
also  in  Etruria  and  in  Umbria.  According  to  some  writers,  Xuma  Pompilius 
placed  in  the^forum,  near  the  Capitoline  or  Tarpeian  hill,  a  brazen  temple  of 
Janus  covering  his  brazen  image. 

*)  In  the  porticoes  of  the  Roman  forum  used  largely  by  merchants  and 
money-lenders,  there  was  an  upper,  middle  and  lower  Janus  [see  note  in 
Appendix] . 

Thus  preaches  the  forum  j'rom  the  upper  to  the  lower  Jamis  ("All  of  Wall  St.") 
— Hor.  lib.  I,  Ep.  i,  54.  Again  :  After  my  bankruptcy  at  the  middle  Janvs.—HoT. 
II,  Sat.  iii.  (Forcellini,  s.  v.  Janiis.) 

15 


LUDICBA 


CAN-ESTRO 

I. 

O  DELLE  donne  italiche, 
Silvia,  decoro  e  vanto, 
Cui  crebbe  fama  e  gloria 
D'un  anglo  vate  il  canto, 
Un  fiorellin  poetico 
Oso  offerirti  anch'io, 
Colto  pur  mo'  sul  rio 
Che  irrora  il  mio  giardin. 

II. 

Ove  del  bosco  Idalio 

Piu  folte  son  le  piante 
Va  sulle  sciolte  redini 
Di  corridor  spumante 
{Can)  Qo\  mio  primier ;  le  indomite 

Fere  affatica  al  corso 
Colla  faretra  al  dorso 
Come  Diana  mi  di. 


16 


CHARADES 


CAN-ESTRO ' 
I. 

OYLVIA,  the  glory  and  the  boast 

Of  all  Italia' s  fairest, 
An  English  bard  thy  beauty  sang, 

And  made  thy  fame  the  rarest. 
I,  too,  would  offer  thee  a  gift — 

A  little  rhymic  flower 

Plucked  in  its  grassy  bower 
Beside  my  garden-brook. 

II. 

Hie  to  the  thick  Idalian  wood, 

And  in  its  leafy  tangle 
Follow  the  foamy  steed  whose  reins 

In  useless  guidance  dangle: 
My  first  is  there.     Diana-like, 

Pursue  with  heavy  quiver 

And  footsteps  fleeting  ever, 

The  boar  and  bounding  deer. 

*)  Canestro  =  basket ;  Can{e)  =  dog ;  Estro  =  divine  afflatus. 


17 


LUDICRA 


III. 

Al  tuo  cantor  die  in  copia 
L'  altro  di  Delo  il  nume, 
E  il  fe'  volar  del  genio 
Sulle  robuste  piume; 
(Estro)  S'  io  pur  1'  avessi,  a  1'  etera 

Farei  con  suon  concorde 
Sulle  toscane  corde 
Un  inno  risonar. 

IV. 

Di  giunchi  intreccio  e  vimini 
E  il  mio  Male,  umile 
Opra  di  man  fern  in  ea  ; 
Pur  non  averlo  a  vile, 
(Canestro)  Di  vaghi  fior  che  olezzano 

Ve'  colmo  ha  1'  ampio  seno; 
Di  poma  1'  ho  ripieno, 
L'accetta,  o  Silvia,  in  don. 


18 


CHARADES 


III. 

To  bards  of  old  the  Delian  god 

Gave  richly  of  my  second^ 
And  plunied  their  pinions  for  the  flight 

^^^lere  fame  and  genius  beckoned: 
Ah,  could  I  share  their  plenteous  gift, 

Up  to  the  ether  winging 

A  song  more  worth  the  singing 

Would  leap  from  this  poor  lyre  ! 

IV. 

Osiers  and  rushes  intertwined 

Make  up  my  riddle  loholly  ; 
'T  is  humblest  work  of  women's  hands — 

Yet  deem  it  not  too  lowly: 
Behold,  its  hollow  I  have  filled 

With  many  a  fruit  and  flower. 

To  make  it,  for  thy  bower, 
Sylvia,  a  pleasant  gift ! 


19 


LUDICRA 


SOL-FANELLO 

ALLA  MEDESIMA 

V  E'  gli  astri  omai  rilucere 
Sulla  celeste  volta 
Ve'  il  mar,  la  terra  avvolta 
In  tenebroso  orror. 

Sorga  il  primiero,  e  il  fulgido 
Suo  raggio  il  monte  indori, 
(Sol)  Sorga,  e  1'  erbette  e  i  fiori 

Pinga  di  bei  color. 

Vago  augellin,  che  roseo 
E  bigio  spiega  il  manto, 
(Fanello)         E  1'  altro,  inetto  al  canto, 
Sol  uso  a  pigolar. 

A  rischiarar  le  tenebre 
Prendi  il  totale  a  sera, 
(Solfanello)      N'accendi  la  lumiera 

Gia  il  sol  tuffossi  in  mar. 


20 


CHARADES 


SOL-FANELLO ' 

{To  the  Same.) 
Behold,  the  heaven  glows 

With  starry  hght, 
While  earth  and  sea  repose 

In  shades  of  night. 

'My  first  ascends — each  hill 
Is  ridged  with  gold; 

The  flowers  new  sweets  distil, 
New  charms  unfold. 

My  second  then  in  gray 

And  crimson  clad. 
Offers  an  artless  lay, 

A  chirping  glad. 

Again  't  is  evening  dun: 

Strike  on  the  head 
My  ivhole,  for  now  the  sun 

Has  gone  to  bed  ! 

^)  Solfanello  =  match ;  Sol{e)  =  sun  ;  Fanello  =  linnet. 
21 


CARMINA 


A2?.  MDCCCXXXVIII 

A  MONSIGNOR  ORFEI^ 

SCHERZO   POETICO 

(JRFEO,  fama  gia  fu  che  la  nemica 
Ira  molcendo,  attonite  e  sospese 
Traesti  al  sono  della  cetra  arnica 
Un  di  le  fere  ad  ascoltarti  intese. 

Forse  il  valore  avito  an  cor  nutrica 

E  ad  egual  gloria  i  tuoi  nepoti  accese  ? 
Trasfusa  in  loro  tua  virtude  antica 
Rinnovellar  poteo  le  conte  imprese  ? 

Ben  lo  cred'io:  del  Sannio  Irpin  le  selve 
Udir  gli  accent!  d'un  Orfeo  novello, 
L'armonia  di  sua  cetra  udir  le  belve: 

E  una  colomba,  dalP  Adriaco  lido 

Spiccando  il  vol,  poso  sul  mio  Castello, 
E  co'  suoi  colombin  vi  fece  il  nido. 

^)  Mons.  Orfei,  suo  antecessore  nella  Dclegazioiie  di  Kcnevento,  aveva 
ceduto  una  parte  del  I'alazzo  Apostolico,  detto  il  Castello,  al  Presidente  del 
Tribunale,  aw.  Palomba,  veinito  da  Loreto. 

22 


POEMS 


AN.  MDCCCXXXVIII 


IDEM  LATINE 

JVlULCERE  immites  cithara,  deducere  cantu, 
Orpheu,  fama  refert  te  potuisse  feras. 

Pristina  num  virtus  renovat  portenta  ?  nepotes 
Gloria  sollicitat  numquid  avita  tuos  ? 

Crediderim:  Samni  visiis  novus  Orpheus  oris 
Elicere  arguta  dulce  melos  cithara. 

Laevaque  ab  Adriaca  advolitans  regione  columba 
Nostro  heu  cum  pulhs  in  lare  nidificat. 


23 


CABMINA 


AN.  MDCCCXXXVin 


IDEM    LATINE 


JVlULCERE  immites  cithara,  deducere  cantu, 
Orpheu,  fama  refert  te  potuisse  feras. 


Pristina  num  virtus  renovat  portenta  ?  nepotes 
Gloria  sollicitat  numquid  avita  tuos  ? 


Crediderim:  Samni  visus  novus  Orpheus  oris 
Elicere  arguta  dulce  melos  cithara. 


Laevaque  ab  Adriaca  advolitans  regione  columba 
Nostro  heu  cum  puUis  in  lare  nidificat. 


24 


POEMS 


TO  MONSIGNOR  ORFEI ' 

(1838) 

Orpheus,  'tis  said,  with  melting  lay 
Could  soothe  the  beasts  of  prey, 

And  lead  them  forth  of  brake  and  brier, 
Sequacious  of  the  lyre. 

Does  not  his  power  again  unfold 
The  magic  wrought  of  old  ? 

Does  not  his  spirit  still  inflame 
The  race  that  bears  his  name  ? 

Well  might  I  credit  such  a  thing. 

Hearing  our  Orpheus  sing 
And  launch  from  his  resounding  lyre 

Shafts  of  melodic  fire! 

Alack!  a  silly  dove  hath  flown 

Hither  from  Adria's  zone; 
Why,  in  our  chimney  stands  confessed 

His  birdling's  raucous  nest ! 


1)  Mons.  Orfei,  the  predecessor  of  Mons.  Pecci  in  the  Legation  of  Bene- 
vento,  had  assigned  a  part  of  the  Apostolic  palace,  called  the  Castello,  to  the 
President  of  the  Court,  Palomba,  a  la^\Ter  from  Loretto. 

25 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCXLI 


A  FULVIO  BELLELIO^ 

SCHERZO  POETICO 

sfVURA  spira  da  te  di  Paradiso 

Che  di  grazia  e  belta  tuo  volto  infiora: 
II  dolce  sguardo  ed  il  gentil  sorriso 
Soavemente  i  cor  lega  e  innamora. 


Che  se  turbi  la  fronte,  e  d'improvviso 
E  magnanimo  sdegno  ardi  talora, 
Delia  tua  voce  al  suon  ciascun  conquiso 
Per  la  tern  a  allibisce  e  trascolora. 

Dischiusa  e  a  te  d'  ogni  saver  la  via; 
Vate,  sofo,  orator  da  tuoi  verd'  anni; 
Sublime  ingegno  al  ciel  t'  aderge  e  india. 

Dispiega  a  volo  ognor  piu  ardito  i  vanni, 
Ne  paventar  di  maldicenza  ria, 
Di  codardo  livor  I'oltraggio  e  i  danni. 


*)  Bellelio,  vanitoso,  encomiava  sovente  la  propria  bellezza,  e  tenevasi  in 
con  to  di  letterato,  filosofo  ed  oratore. 

26 


POEMS 


TO   FULVIO  BELLELIO^ 

(1841) 

JVlESEEMS  a  zephyr,  strayed  from  Paradise, 

Breathes  from  the  roses  blooming  on  your  cheek ; 
Your  winning  smile,  your  courtesy  antique, 

Bind  every  heart  to  you  in  loving  ties. 


But  when  the  lightning  flashes  from  your  eyes, 
And  angry  clouds  your  snowy  forehead  seek, 
And   from    your   mouth    the    red-lipped    thunders 

How  blanches  every  face  in  dread  surmise  !       [speak — 


Thou  oraclest  what  path  the  world  should  take, 

0  Bard,  and  Seer,  and  Orator  of  youth : 
Surely  such  genius  should  the  earth  forsake  ! 


Spread  then  your  pinions  for  the  flight:  good  sooth. 

You  will  not  fear  the  venom-spitting  snake, 
The  laughing  mob,  or  mordant  Envy's  tooth. 


1)  A  conceited  fellow  wlio  often  boasted  of  his  good  looks  and  reckoned 
himself  a  philosopher,  an  orator,  and  a  man  of  letters. 

27 


CAR3nNA 


AN.    MDCCCXXXXII 

IN  MAEVIVM 

VIRVM    CALLIDVM    ET    ABNORMEM 

JVIaEVIUS  abnormis,  quern  plebs  festiva  Quiritum 
Ridet,  et  argutis  vellicat  usque  iocis, 

Nudato  capite,  effusis  per  colla  capillis, 
Palliolo  in  teretes  lene  cadente  humeros, 

Aestiva  et  tunica  accinctus,  per  compita  nuper 
Spectandus  populo  Maevius  ibat  ovans. 

Atqui  iam  horrescebat  hyems,  iam  frigidus  aer, 
Et  contracta  gelu  flumina  constiterant. 

Admirari  omnes,  resonare  et  sibila:  euntem 

Densa  humeris  strepitu  turba  proterva  premit. 

Turn  quidam  mihi  subridens:  vulpecula  mores 
Non  mutat,  vellus  mutat  at  ilia  suum. 


Callidior  vulpes  pol  !  Maevius:  aspice,  utrumque 
Is  mavult,  morem  et  vellus,  utrumque  tenet. 


POEMS 


ECCENTRIC  MAEVIUS 

(1842) 

■A  BUTT  for  jokes  and  antic  play 
Of  idlers  on  their  holiday, 
Eccentric  Maevius  wends  his  way; 

His  head  unbonneted  and  bare, 

His  neck  concealed  by  tumbling  hair. 

His  cloaklet  borne  with  jaunty  air. 

Joyous  he  pushes  through  the  swarm, 
Clad  in  the  garb  of  summer  warm — 
Certes,  a  curious  uniform  1 

Curious  indeed;  for  now,  behold  ! 

The  raging  winter's  icy  cold 

Hath  even  the  running  streams  controlled. 

Was  ever  such  a  sight  as  this  ? 

Be  sure  that  Maevius  shall  not  miss 

The  jostling  elbow  and  the  hiss  ! 

Said  one  to  me,  with  knowing  smile: 
"The  little  fox  may  change  his  style 
Of  skin,  but  not  his  native  guile; 

But  Maevius  is  a  cmftier  fox: 
Egad,  he  will  not  change  his  frocks 
More  than  his  ways,  whoever  mocks  !" 


CARMINA 


Cum  esset  Perudnorum  Episcopus,  excellentes  aliquo 
genere  sacerdotes  carminibus  laudare,  item  ex  sacris  vir- 
ginibus  optimas  quasque  celebrare  consueverat.  Carminum 
quoddam  veluti  specimen  hoc  loco  proponitur. 


30 


POEMS 


While  Bishop  of  Perugia,  the  author  ivas  accustomed  to 
celebrate  in  song  such  priests  as  were  remarkable  for  any 
special  excellence,  and  also  the  most  deserving  amongst  the 
Sisters  in  Religious  Communities.  The  follomng  poems 
mxiy  serve  as  a  specimen. 


31 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXIV 

IN  NICOLA VM  POMPILIVM^ 

1  ASTOR  in  exemplum  sellers,  florentibus  annis, 
Suffecit  tenero  pascua  laeta  gregi. 

Rector  in  exemplum  sapiens,  succrescere  pubem 
Sacris  addictam,  se  duce,  perdocuit 

Ad  mores  artesque  bonas:  laus  inde  superstes, 
Famaque  Pompilivm  non  peritura  manet. 

^)  Nicolaus  Pompilius  recti  tenax,  ad  consilia  prudens,  curionis  munere 
apud  Pruiietenses  diu  integreque  gesto,  Canonicus  templi  rnaximi  Perusini 
factus  est,  sacroque  Seminaiio  regundo  praefectus. 


POEMS 


NICOLO  POMPILI^ 

(1864) 

Truly  a  shepherd  !     In  Priigneto's  fields 
His  watchful  care  a  plenteous  pasture  yields. 

Truly  a  Rector  !     He  instructed  youth 
By  his  example  how  to  follow  truth 

And  virtue.     So  his  works  the  man  survive, 
And  fame  forever  keeps  his  name  alive  1 


*)  A  righteoiis  and  prudent  man,  who  after  a  long  and  blameless  pastorate 
in  Prugneto  became  a  Canon  of  the  Cathedral  of  Perugia  and  Rector  of  the 
Seminary. 


33 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXIV 


IN  PETRVM  PENNA^ 

r  ORTUNATE  senex,  dulcis  dum  vita  maneret, 
Te  candore  animi,  te  pietate,  fide 

Aequabat  nemo;  laetis  in  rebuSj  in  arctis 
Delicium  populi  tu,  bone  pastor,  eras. 


»)  Petxus  Peuna,  curio  sanctissimi  exempli,  mira  animi  simplicitate,  mul- 
tonunque  recte  factorum  memoria  clarus. 


34 


POEMS 


PIETRO  PENNA^ 

(1864) 

O  WHITE-HAIRED  Sage  !  thy  clemency, 
Thy  faith,  thy  sweet  simplicity, 

No  equal  had:  in  woe  or  weal, 

Thy  people  found  their  pastor  leal  I 


^ )  A  most  exemplary  parish-priest,  noted  for  his  perfect  candor  and  z^al 
in  the  ministry. 


35 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXIV 


IN  SERAPHINVM  PARADISIVM^ 

(JUAE  subiecta  oculis,  vera  est  pastoris  imago 
Divae  Helenes,  dulci  pabulo  alentis  oves. 

Quae  patria  et  nomen  fuerit  si  forte  requiras, 
Verius  hoc  referet  picta  tabella  tibi. 

Nam  patriam  dicet  Paradisi  in  sede  beatam, 
Adscriptumque  choris  nomen  in  angelicis. 


»)  Seraphinus  Paradisi,  parochus  in  castro  S.  Helenes,  integer  vitae  et  caruB 
nblque  modestia  sua. 


36 


POEMS 


SERAFINO  PARADISIC 

(1864) 

JdENEATH  our  very  eyes  is  placed  the  image  meet — 
How  a  good  shepherd  feeds  his  flock  in  pasture  sweet. 

"  His  country  and  his  name?  "  should  you  then  chance 

to  ask, 
This  picture  shall  attempt,  better  than  words,  the  task: 

'Twill  say:  "Why,  Paradise  the  land  that  claimeth  him; 
And  you  will  find  his  name  amidst  the  Seraphim  ! " 


^)  Pastor  at  Castello  di  S.  Elena,  loved  of  all  for  his  blameless  life  and 
modest  maimer. 


37 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXV 


IN  SANCTEM  PETRAZZINIVM  ^ 

1\ELLIGI0  et  Pietas  titulum  inscripsere  sepulchro 
Effusae  in  lacrimas  hunc,  Petracine,  tuo : 

'  *  Curio  bis  denis  pius  et  mitissimus  annis, 
Parvum  sollicito  pavit  amore  gregem. 

*  *  In  plebem  miserans  hie,  prodigus  aeris,  egenam 
Mirum  !  vel  censu  paupere  fudit  opes." 


*)  Sanctes  Petrazzinius,  parochus  Eccleslae  Ramatienbis,  pius  in  Dt-um, 
benlgniis  in  egenos,  amorem  omnium  virtute  proraeruit. 


POEMS 


SANTE  PETRAZZINI^ 

(1865) 

Dissolved  in  grief,  ReHgion,  Piety, 
This  Title  placed  to  thee: 

' '  For  twenty  years  his  flock  he  gently  led 
And  generously  fed. 

"Wondrous!  to  help  his  needy  flock,  he  poured 
Wealth  from  the  scantiest  hoard  ! ' ' 


» )  Parish-priest  of  Ramazzano,  meriting  love  from  all  for  his  piety  towards 
God  and  his  charity  towards  the  poor. 


39 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXXV 

IN  HERMELINDAM  MONTESPERELLI 

ANTISTITAM   SACRARVM   VIRGINVM   CISTERCIENSIVM  ^ 

I  ROGENIE  illustris,  verae  et  virtutis  alumna 
Virgo,  Hermelinda  et  nomine,  sacra  Deo; 

Coenobii  custos  vigil  et  fidissima,  mater 
Provida  consilio,  propositique  tenax. 


* )  Magistra  Virginum  Cisterciensium  ad  Sanctae  lulianae  per  annos  xxv, 
caritatis  prudentiaeque  laude  insignis.    Obiit  die  iii  lulii  a.  mdccclxi. 


40 


POEMS 


HERMELINDA  MONTESPERELLI ' 

(1875) 

2^\  NOBLE  birth,  an  honored  name, 
0  Hermehnda,  thou  couldst  claim; 
But  brighter  is  thy  virtue's  fame! 

An  ever-watchful  sentinel, 
A  gentle  mother  ruHng  well, 
Yet  firm  as  rock-ribbed  citadel ! 


1)  Superioress  of  the  Cistercian  Convent  of  S.  Giuliana  in  Perugia;  cele- 
brated for  her  charity  and  prudence.    Died  July  3,  1861 . 


41 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXV 

IN  ROSALINDAM  BASTIANI 

ANTISTITAM  COENOBII  AD  S.  CATHARINAE  ^ 

Y IRTUTES  celebrare  tuas,  praeclaraque  gesta 
Quis  valeat,  vel  quod  par  erit  ellogium  ? 

EUogium  matris :  sacra  inter  septa  senescis 
Spectanda  exemplis  et  pietate  gravis. 

Acclamant  matrem  concordi  voce  sorores, 
Tu  dux,  tuque  illis  provida  mater  eras. 

Ereptam  terris  te  mairem  nunc  quoque  dicunt: 
Matrem  cum  lacrimis  in  sua  vota  vocant. 


*)  Magisterium  coenobii  tres  et  trigiuta  aunos  continues  gessit.  Ob  sing^- 
larem  animi  bonitatem  sacrae  virgines  earn  familiariter  appellare  consueve- 
rant  la  nostra  btiona  mamma.    Obiit  die  xxvi  Derembris  mdccclxxi. 


42 


POEMS 


ROSALIND  BASTIANI^ 

(1875) 

1  0  celebrate  thy  deeds  and  virtues  rare, 
What  eulogy  may  tongue  or  pencil  dare? 

A  Mother's  praise  is  thine,  who  grewest  old 
No  less  in  grace  than  years  amid  thy  fold. 

The  sisters  still  a  Mother  thee  acclaim, 
Whose  tender  care  so  merited  the  name. 

Death  snatched  thee  from  their  midst;  yet,  as  of  yore, 
A  Mother  still  their  sighs  and  tears  implore! 


*)  She  ruled  her  convent  for  thirty- three  consecutive  years,  and  with  such 
goodness  of  heart,  that  the  sisters  called  her  familiarly  "our  good  Mother." 


43 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXVII 


ARS  PHOTOGRAPHICA 

EXFRESSA  solis  spicule 
Nitens  imago,  quam  bene 
Frontis  decus,  vim  luminum 
Refers,  et  oris  gratiam. 

0  mira  virtus  ingeni, 

Novumque  monstrum  !  Imaginem 
Naturae  Apelles  aemulus 
Non  pulchriorem  pingeret. 


44 


POEMS 


PHOTOGRAPHY 


(1867) 


Sun- WROUGHT  with  magic  of  the  skies, 
The  image  fair  before  me  lies: 
Deep-vaulted  brain  and  sparkling  eyes 
And  lip's  fine  chiselling. 

0  miracle  of  human  thought, 
0  art  with  newest  marvels  fraught — 
Apelles,  Nature's  rival,  wrought 
No  fairer  imaging  ! 


46 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXX 

IN  GALLVM' 

SIBI    LICENTIVS  INDVLGENTEM 

vjrALLE,  quid  insanis  ?  quid  te  torpere  veterno, 
Diffluere  illecebris  deliciisque  iuvat? 

Puber  adhuc,  prima  adspersus  lanugine  malas, 
Deperis  incauto  captus  amore  Chloen; 

Grandior  ecce  Bycen  ardes,  mollemque  Corynnam, 
Inque  dies  vulnus  saevior  ignis  alit. 

lam  que  senescentem,  miseroque  cupidine  fractum 
Nunc  premit  indigno  vafra  Nigella  iugo. 

Ecquis  erit  modus?  E  coeno  caput  exsere  tandem: 
Tandem  rumpe  moras,  excute  corde  luem. 

Cunctaris,  veteresque  amens  sectaris  amores  ? 
lam  spes  heu  misero  nulla  salutis  adest. 

Praedam  inhians  rabidus  lateri  stat  daemon,  amara 
Te  mors,  te  vindex  Numinis  ira  manet. 

»)  Virum  Perusinum  intellige,  quern  ad  sanitatem  revocare  Episcopus  diu 
Btuduit. 


I 


46 


POEMS 


TO  GALLUS^ 

(1870) 

'What  madness,  Gallus  !     Ah,  what  profits  it 
To  drown  in  pleasure's  bath  thy  saner  wit? 

Scarce  had  the  down  of  youth  o'erspread  thy  cheek, 
Till  Chloe's  love  thy  sinful  heart  would  seek. 

Then  Byce,  then  Corynna,  thy  desire; 

And  daily  smarts  thy  wound  with  deeper  fire. 

Not  even  thy  whitening  hairs  the  passion  cloak 
That  flings  thee  groveling  'neath  Nigella's  yoke. 

Where  shall  it  end  ?  Rise  from  the  filthy  mire, 
Break  the  sad  chain,  and  cleanse  thy  foul  attire. 

Thou  dalliest,  loving  still  thy  cruel  chains  ? 
Alas  !  what  hope  of  safety  then  remains  ? 

Lo  !  at  thy  side  the  Demon  waits  his  prey, 
And  Death  is  summoning  to  the  Judgment  Day  ! 

^)  Meant  for  a  certain  citizen  of  Perugia,  whom  the  Bishop  had  been  long 
trying  to  reform. 

47 


CARMINA 


iLN.   MDCCCLXX 
DAMNATORVM    AD   INFEROS 

LAMENTABILIS  VOX 

"0  si  daretur  horaf 

Sr\UDITUS  stygiis  gemitus  resonare  sub  antris: 
^ '  0  detur  miseris,  hinc  procul,  hora  brevis  ! ' ' 

Quid  facerent  ?  Imo  elicerent  e  corde  dolorem : 
Admissumque  brevis  tolleret  hora  nefas. 


48 


POEMS 


''  0  FOR  ONE  HOUR  ! " 

(1870) 

5ML  CRY  resounds  through  Stygian  dungeons  drear: 
"  0  for  a  single  hour  away  from  here  !" 

What  would  the  spirits  do  in  time  so  brief  ? 
Purge  their  sin -laden  souls  wdth  heartfelt  grief  ! 


49 


CABMINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXXI 

RICORSO  ALLA  VERGINE 

NELLE  TENTAZIONI  ^ 

(olUANDO  impudico  demone, 
D'ogni  nequizia  pieno, 
In  te  col  sozzo  anelito 
Sparge  il  suo  rio  veleno, 

E  adombra  gi^  dell'animo 
L'almo  natio  candore, 
Alia  incorrotta  Vergine 
Leva  la  mente  e  il  core. 

Bagni  pietosa  lacrima 
II  verecondo  ciglio, 
E  a  Lei,  che  e  madre,  supplice 
Di':  son,  Maria,  tuo  figlio! 

Poi  si  converta  il  gemito 
In  affannoso  grido: 
Madre,  deh  Madre,  campami, 
In  tua  virtu  m'  affido: 

Nato  pel  ciel,  tra  gli  angeli, 
Dei  gaudii  eterni  erede, 
Non  sia  giammai  che  immemore, 
Spergiuro  alia  mia  fede, 

Ceda  all'immondo  Asmodeo: 
Vergine  casta  e  pia, 
D'  ogni  piu  lieve  macola 
Preservami,  Maria! 

*)  rer  un  giovine  seminarista. 
50 


POEMS 


RECOURSE  TO  THE  VIRGIN 


(1871) 

When  with  purpose  foul 
The  mahgnant  Devil 

Breathes  upon  thy  soul 
Pestilential  evil: 

And  thy  spirit  fair 

Clouds  of  horror  darken, 
To  thy  tenderest  prayer 

Bid  the  Virgin  hearken. 

On  thy  blushing  cheek 

Let  the  tear-drop  glisten; 

Say :  "  0  Mother  meek, 
To  thy  client  listen  !  " 

Let  the  suppliant  sigh 

Swell  to  deeper  wailing: 

' '  Mother  sweet,  I  fly 

To  thy  love  unfailing: 

' '  Heir  am  I  of  bliss 

And  of  glory  deathless; 

Oh,  remembering  this, 

Let  me  not  prove  faithless : 

' '  Let  me  never  yield 

To  the  shameless  Devil: 
Mary,  be  my  shield 

'  Gainst  the  darts  of  evil  ! ' ' 

^)  Written  for  a  young  seminarian. 
51 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXXIII 

AD  ALOISIUM  ROTELLI  CAN. 

OB  LAVDATIONEM 
IN    PARENTALIBVS 

CARMELI  PASCUCCI  EPISCOPI  PTOLEMAIDENSIS  ^ 
HABITAM 

Ol  iucunda  tibi  mea  vox,  excudere  et  acri 
Forte  tiio  igniculos,  docte  Rotelle,  novos 

Si  potis  ingenio;  meritae  cape  munera  laudis, 
Et  cape  Pastoris  praescia  vota  tui. 

Carmelvm  immiti  celebras  dum  funere  ademptum, 
Vi  morbi  infandae  dum  plus  illacrimas, 

Spectandumque  refers  doctrinae  fenore  multo, 
Insignem  meritis  et  pietate  virum, 

Maiestate  gravem  et  vultum,  dum  rite  litanti 
Ornaret  niveas  infula  sacra  comas; 

Atque  itidem  studia  et  mores  animumque  benignum, 
Os  et  suave  senis,  flexile  et  ingenium, 

»)  Vir  eximiae  virtutis,  praestans  ingenio  et  eloquio,  magni  Lycei  Perusim 
praeses:  diro  cruris  ulcere  misere  consumptus  a.  mdccclxxiii. 

62 


POEMS 


TO  CANON  ALOYSIUS  ROTELLI 

ON    HIS    PANEGYRIC   DELIVERED  AT  THE  FUNERAL  OP 
CARMELO    PASCUCCI,  BISHOP  OF   PT0LEMAI3  ^ 

(1873) 

Or  if  my  words  should  please,  or  if  they  serve,  belike, 
From  anvil  of  thy  soul  new  sparks  of  fire  to  strike, 

Rotelli,  pray  accept  my  praise  so  merited — 
My  wishes  that  presage  new  glories  for  thy  head! 

Whilst  thou  dost  mourn  with  tears  Carmelo's  fainting 
And  tenderly  bewail  his  unrelenting  death;        [breath, 

And  then  with  learned  art  his  splendid  virtue  scan, 
His  piety,  and  all  the  merits  of  the  man: — 

His  grave,  majestic  port  when  at  the  Altar  foimd, 
And  the  white,  reverend  hairs  with  mitred  glory  crowned; 

And  the  dear  soul  benign,  and  the  high-gifted  heart, 
And  venerable  face  sweetened  by  grace  and  art: 


^  a  man  of  eminent  virtue,  genius  and  eloquence,  and  Rector  of  the  Uni- 
rersity  of  Peru^a  {tl873). 

53 


CARMINA 


Sic  graphice  pingis  divina  rhetoris  arte, 
lUo  ut  sit  praesul  nullus  amabilior; 

Plurima  turba  virtim  pendet  dicentis  ab  ore, 
Et  cupida  eloquii  vim  bibit  aure  tui. 

Ipse  sed  in  prim  is  blanda  dulcedine  tangor, 
Laetitiaque  silens  offeror,  usque  memor, 

Te  puerum  fovisse  sinu,  vitaeque  recentis 
Afflaret  roseas  cum  levis  aura  genas, 

Fulgidulosque  micare  oculos  vultumque  decorum, 
Membraque  conspicerem  nescia  stare  loco, 

Clamasse:  eia!  adolesce,  puer,  felicibus  ausis 
I,  quo  vivida  te  mens  animusque  rapit. 

Delapsa  e  caelo  tibi  Pieris  una  Sororum 
Frondis  apollineae  cingat  honore  caput: 

Te  verbo  Suadela  potens,  te  abstrusa  Mathesis 
Cultorem  iactent  invida  quaeque  suum. 

Post,  ubi  vernantes  maturior  egeris  annos, 
Pleno  haustu  Sophiae  sacra  fluenta  bibas; 

Qua  duce,  dura  pati,  moliri  fortia  discas, 
Tangere  et  excelso  vertice  summa  poli. 
54 


POEMS 


So  dost  thou  picture  him,  with  eloquence  divine, 
As  none  more  loved  might  be  in  all  the  priestly  line. 

Enraptured,  every  ear  drinks  in  thy  words  of  gold. 
And  every  eye  is  strained  thy  magic  to  behold! 

But  me  a  sweeter  thought,  a  blander  joy  enthralls, 
And  all  my  heart  leaps  up,  as  memory  recalls 

How  soon  within  my  heart  thy  love  did  entrance  seek, 
When  springtime  of  thy  life  waked  roses  in  thy  cheek; 

And  how  twin  gleaming  stars  lit  up  thy  face  so  fair; 
And  how^  thy  nimble  feet  sought  pleasance  everywhere; 

And  how  with  joy  I  said:  "Advance  to  man's  estate. 
And  whither  genius  leads  pursue,  and  challenge  Fate! 

From  the  Pierian  sky  may  the  sweet  Muse  come  down 
And  with  Apollo's  wreath  thy  dearer  forehead  crown! 

Be  thou  the  envious  boast  of  both  scholastic  arts — 
The  one  that  reckons  space,  the  one  that  captures  hearts: 

And  when  the  flowing  years  maturer  power  bring, 
Drink  deep  and  deeper  draughts  of  Wisdom's  plenteous 
spring : 

Learn  from  her  ample  store  to  suffer,  dare,  and  die — 
And  with  exalted  brow  touch  the  remotest  sky!  " 

55 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXVII 

AD  ALOISIVM  RVFVM 

ARCHIEPISCOPVM  THEATINVM  DESIGNATVM 

O  BONE  Loisides,  o  Rufae  nobile  germen 

Gentis,  quern  dudum  ad  magna  aluere  Patrum 

Exempla  et  virtus^;  effusos  pectore  ab  imo 
Laetitiae  sensus,  omina  fausta,  libens 

Excipe:  namque  Pivs  divijii  ductor  ovilis 
Te  modo  Pontificum  coetibus  inseruit; 

Te  iure  imperitare  sacro,  teqiie  ubere  pleno, 
RvFE,  Theatinas  pascere  iussit  oves. 

Plaudite  Sebeti  colles,  ubi  parvulus  infans 
Crevit,  ubi  et  studiis  lusit  amabiliter. 

Tuque  adeo  imprimis  plaude  ac  laetare  Theate, 
Sertaque  Pastori  florea  necte  pio. 

Sed  cave,  sisque  vigiP:  tacita  nam  mente  volutat 
Nescia  quid  votis  invida  Parthenoi^e. 


^ )  Nobilissima  Ruforum  gens,  quam  ductam  ferunt  a  Procousule  romano 
Rufo,  omni  aetate  floruit  viris  amplissimis  in  re  civili  et  sacra. 

«)  Rumor  per  eos  dies  percrebuerat  Aloisium  Rufum  ex  Theatina  Sede 
brevi  ad  Neapolitanam  provectum  iri. 

/)6 


POEMS 


TO  ALOISIO  RUFFO 

ARCHBISHOP-ELECT  OF  CHIETI 

(1877) 

JVlY  dearest  Louis,  scion  of  a  race 

Famous  for  noble  deeds,  who  bear'st  the  trace 

Of  mighty  ancestry,^  prythee  receive 

The  cordial  prayers  and  greetings  that  I  give. 

For  Pius,  Shepherd  of  the  Fold,  to  thee 
Hath  given  a  more  exalted  ministry : 

Skilful  in  laws,  and  graced  with  many  a  gift, 
He  bids  thee  now  the  shepherd's  crozier  lift. 

Rejoice,  then,  O  ye  hills  that  saw  his  youth 
Grow  strong  in  manliness  and  grace  and  truth! 

Rejoice,  Chieti!  Yet  more  gladly  thou 

Shalt  weave  a  chaplet  for  thy  shepherd's  brow. 

But  have  a  care,  my  friend!  Parthenope* 

('T  is  said)  doth  cherish  queer  designs  on  thee! 


^)  The  noble  house  of  the  RuflB,  said  to  have  descended  from  the  Roman 
Proconsul  Rufus,  in  every  age  gave  men  of  eminence  to  the  service  of 
Chiirch  and  State. 

«)  There  was  a  rumor  abroad  that  Aloisio  Rufib  was  shortly  to  be  trans- 
ferred from  Chieti  to  Naples.  * 

57 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXXIII 

GERTRVDI  STERBINIAE 

VIRGINI  SALESIANAE 
IVLIVS  FRATER 

(jrERTRVDES,  o  sacra  Deo  castissima  virgo, 
Grata,  precor,  Ivli  vota  dolentis  habe. 

Fortunata  soror,  Superum  quae  vesceris  aura, 
Nostri  sollicitam  te  vetus  urat  amor. 

Usque  tuis  amor  ille  memor  succurrere  discat, 
Discat  et  infensis  corda  levare  malis. 

Atque  olim  Ersiliam,  natos,  dulcesque  parentes, 
Meque  tibi  in  patria  iungat  adauctus  amor. 


58 


POEMS 


THE  PRAYER  OF  JULIUS^ 

(1873) 

0  GERTRUDE,  Virgin  chaste!   0  sacred  to  the  Lord, 
To  weeping  Julius'  prayer  a  kindly  ear  accord. 

Thrice  blessed  though  thou  art  in  realms  of  heavenly  rest, 
Thy  olden  love,  I  know,  still  warms  thy  faithful  breast. 

From  out  thine  azure  sky  a  helping  hand  extend, 
And  hearts  so  dear  to  thee  from  threatening  ills  defend. 

Sweet  Ersily,  my  babes,  our  dearest  parents,  guide — 
And  lead  me  on  with  them  safe  to  thy  loving  side. 

^)  To  his  sister  Gertrude,  a  Nun  of  the  Visitation  Order. 


59 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXXIU 

GERTRVDI  STERBINIAE 

VIRGINI  SALESIANAE 
IVLIVS  FRATER 

(jrERTRVDES,  o  sacra  Deo  castissima  virgo, 
Grata,  precor,  Ivli  vota  dolentis  habe. 

Fortunata  soror,  Superum  quae  vesceris  aura, 
Nostri  sollicitam  te  vetus  urat  amor. 

Usque  tuis  amor  ille  memor  succurrere  discat, 
Discat  et  infensis  corda  levare  malis. 

Atque  olim  Ersiliam,  natos,  dulcesque  parentes, 
Meque  tibi  in  patria  iungat  adauctus  amor. 


60 


POEMS 


AN.  MDCCCLXXIII 


(  Versione  libera) 

Y  ERGIN  Gertrude,  a  Dio  diletta  sposa, 
La  prece  del  tuo  Giulio  odi  pietosa. 

A  me  dolente,  ai  genitori,  ai  figli, 
A  Ersilia  mia  volgi  amorosa  i  cigli. 

Beata  in  ciel,  del  del  nello  splendore, 
Suora,  non  obliar  Tantico  amore. 

E  teco  un  di,  deposto  I'uman  velo, 

Piu  acceso  amor  ne  ricongiunga  in  cielo. 


61 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXni 

IDEM  SORORIS  OPEM  IMPLORAT 

SVB  ALLEGORIA  NAVIS 

jlIeU  mare  soUicitum  spumantibus  aestuat  undis: 
Nox  heu  nimbosum  contegit  atra  polum. 

Quassatur  ventis,  pelago  iactatur  in  alto, 
Et  iam  fracta  ratis  gurgitis  ima  petit. 

Horremus  trepidi,  quatit  aeger  anhelitus  artus: 
Mors  instat,  iam  iam  nos  vorat  unda  maris. 

Flet  genitor,  resoluta  comas  loca  questubus  implet 
Coniux;  cum  natis  anxius  ipse  gemens, 

^'0  soror,  inclamo,  portu  iam  tuta  beato, 
Eia  adsis,  nostras  et  miserata  vices, 

Fluctibus  in  mediis  affulge  sidus  amicum, 
Per  vada,  per  syrtes,  o  bona,  tende  manus: 

Ocius  affer  opem,  pontique  e  gurgite  raptos 
Insere  sidereis  ipsa  benigna  plagis; 

Detur  ubi  amplexus  iterare,  et  iungere  dextras, 
Aeternum  detur  solvere  vota  Deo!  " 
62 


POEMS 


TO  THE  SAME^ 

(1873) 

W ITH  foaming  crests  the  troubled  sea 
Leaps  to  its  cloud-girt  canopy. 

Wind-buffeted,  with  broken  mast, 
The  tossing  vessel  sinks  at  last. 

A  palsied  fear  each  heart  enslaves. 
Whilst  Death  waits  in  the  ravening  waves. 

My  father  weeps;  my  wife,  with  hair 
Dishevelled,  beats  the  darkening  air; 

I  clasp  my  young  ones:   ''  Help!  "   I  cry, 
''Help,  sister,  from  thy  harboring  sky: 

''Shine  through  the  storm,  0  beacon-star; 
O'er  the  vast  deep  stretch  forth  afar 

' '  Thy  hand  to  snatch  us  from  the  sea 
And  lift  our  sinking  hearts  to  thee, 

"In  sweet  embraces,  as  of  yore. 
To  praise  the  Lord  forevermore!  " 

^)  Julius  employs  the  allegory  of  a  ship  iu  his  prayer  to  his  sister  Gertrude. 

63 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCXn^XXVI 

AD  lOSEPHVM  FRATREM 

DE  SE  IPSO  ^ 

yUAM  felix  flore  in  primo,  quam  laeta  Lepinis 
Orta  iugis,  patrio  sub  lare,  vita  fuit!^ 

Altrix  te  puerum  Vetulonia  suscipit  ulnis, 
Atque  in  Loyolaea  excolit  aede  pium/ 

Mutia  dein  Romae  tenuere  palatia;  Romae 
Florentem  studiis  docta  palaestra  tenet;  * 

Tempore  quo,  meminisse  iuvat,  Manera,  Patrumque 
Ingenio  et  fama  nobilis  ilia  cohors 

Mentem  alit,  et  puro  latices  de  fonte  recludens, 
Te  Sophiae  atque  Dei  scita  verenda  docet/ 

»)  Praecipua  ante  Pontificatum  vitae  facta  commemorat. 

3)0rtus  Carpineli  die  2  Martii  a.  1810  ex  eoniugibus  Ludovico  Peecio  et 
Anna  Prosperia,  ad  oetavum  aetatis  annum  in  domo  patema  moratur. 
Carpinetum  est  oppidum  in  Volscis  prope  Signiam  in  sinu  montium  quos 
Lepinos  vocant. 

')  A.  1818  cum  losepho  fratre  Viterbium  mittitur,  et  Sodalibus  e  Societate 
lesu  instituendus  traditur, 

*)  Defuncta  matre  a.  1824,  apud  avunculum  Romae  diversatur  in  palatio 
Marchionum  Muti,  ac  deinde  in  Academia  Nobilium  Ecclesiasticorum. 

*)P.  Franciscus  Manera  S.  I.,  vir  ingenio  et  doctrina  praestantissimus, 
aliique  Patres  clarissimi,  quos  in  Lyceo  Gregoriano  Philosophiae  et  Theo- 
logiae  magistros  habuit,  Andreas  Carafa,  I.  B.  Pianciani,  Antonius  Fer- 
rarini,  loanncs  Perrone,  Joseph  Rizzi,  loannes  Curi,  Antonius  Kohlmann, 
etc. 

64 


POEMS 


HIS  LIFE  AND  FORTUNES^ 

(1876) 

A  CHILD — what  happiness  thy  bosom  fills 
Beneath  thy  father's  roof,  'mid  Lepine  hills!' 

A  boy — in  Vetulonia  next,  the  art 
Loyola  left,  instructs  thy  mind  and  heart/ 

A  youth — the  Roman  College  bids  thee  come, 
And  Muti's  palace  offers  thee  a  home.* 

Maxera — he  of  wondrous  gifts — and  all 
The  fathers  there  ('t  is  pleasant  to  recall) 

Unlocked  the  fountains  hidden  in  the  sod, 
And  taught  the  paths  to  Wisdom  and  to  God.^ 


^)  He  narrates  the  principal  facts  of  his  life  before  his  Pontificate. 

»)  Born  at  Carpineto  on  the  2nd  of  March,  1810,  he  remained  at  home  until 
his  eighth  year.  Carpineto  is  a  town  in  the  territory  of  the  Yolsci,  near 
Segni,  in  the  heart  of  the  Lepini  mountains. 

3)  In  the  year  1818  he  was  sent  with  his  brother  Joseph  to  Viterbo,  and 
enrolled  among  the  students  of  the  Jesuit  Fathers.  [Vetulonia  is  retained 
in  the  English  yersion  in  order  to  signalize  the  Holy  Father's  view  that  it  is 
to  be  identified  with  Viterbo.  Archaeologists  have  diflered  widely  in  assign- 
ing a  site.] 

^)  His  mother  dj-ing  in  1824,  he  lived  in  Rome  with  his  uncle  in  the  palace 
of  the  Marquesses  Muti,  and  afterwards  in  the  College  of  Xoble  Ecclesiastics. 

^)  Among  his  teachers  of  Philosophy  and  Theology  in  the  Gregorian  Uni- 
versity were  F.  Francesco  Manera,  a  man  of  very  notable  talents  and  learn- 
ing, and  other  eminent  fathers,  such  as  Andrea  Carafa,  G.  B.  Pianciani, 
Antonio  Ferrarini,  Giovanni  Perrone,  Giuseppe  Rizzi,  Giovanni  Curi,  Anton 
Kohlmann,  etc. 

65 


CARMINA 


Praemia  laudis  habes:  victrici  praemia  fronti 
Parta  labore  comas  laurea  condecorat. 

Addit  mox  animos  et  vires  Sola  secundas, 
Princeps  romano  murice  conspicuus; 

Auspice  quo  cursum  moliris,  mente  volutans 
Usque  tua  tanti  dicta  diserta  senis.^ 

Dulcis  Parthenope,  Beneventum  dein  tenet,  aequa 
Ut  lege  Hirpinos  imperioque  regas. 

Tegremio  laeta  excipiens  Turrena^  salutat; 

Rectorem  atque  ducem  vividus  Umber  habet.^ 

Sed  maiora  manent:  sacro  nam  chrismate  inunctus, 
Pontificis  nutu,  Belgica  regna  petis, 

Atque  tenes,  adserturus  sanctissima  Petri 
Romanae  et  fidei  credita  iura  tibi.* 

Redditus  at  patriae,  brumali  e  littore  iussus 
Ausoniae  laetas  et  remeare  plagas; 


*)  Joseph  Antonius  Sala  Cardinalis  peculiari  benevolentia  adolescentem 
complectitur,  et  sapientibus  nionitis  et  consiliis  plurimum  iuvat 

»)  Perusia  a  turribus,  quibus  inuniebatur,  dicta  est  Turrena. 

»)  Laurea  doctorali  insignitus,  post  susceptum  sacerdotium,  a  Grcgorio 
XVI  P.  M.  inter  antistiles  urbanos  domus  Pontificalis  adsciseitur  a.  1837,  ac 
postea  proviuciarum  Bcueventanae  et  Perusiuae  gubernator  constituitur. 

*)  In  sacro  Concistorio  habito  die  27  lanuarii  a.  1843,  Archiepiscopus 
Damiatensis  eligitur,  et  Apostolicae  Sedis  Nuntius  ad  Belgas  mittitur. 

66 


POEMS 


A  priest — the  Holy  Victim  offerest  thou; 
Then  jurist  laurels  crown  thy  studious  brow. 

Great  Sala,  though  in  Roman  purple  clad, 
For  thee  how  many  a  kindly  feeling  had! 

Auspicious  was  his  care;  his  counsel,  wise; 
His  prudent  zeal,  a  lesson  for  thine  eyes/ 

Naples  receives  thee;  Benevento  sees 
Thy  Hirpine  rule  observe  all  equities. 

Perugia  ^  next  received  thy  gentle  care. 
And  welcomed  thee  to  rule  a  region  ^  fair. 

But,  greater  gift,  the  Chrism  anoints  thy  head: 
To  Belgium  next  the  Papal  mandate  led. 

There  must  thou  all  the  rights  of  Peter  plead. 
And  guard  the  treasure  of  the  Roman  creed.* 

Anon,  from  that  drear  clime  a  sweet  command 
Bade  thee  return  to  dear  Italia' s  land. 


^)  Cardinal  Giuseppe  Antonio  Sala  was  particularly  kind  to  him,  oflfering 
wise  counsel  and  advice. 

»)  Perugia  is  styled  the  City  of  Towers  because  of  the  many  towers  that 
formed  part  of  its  military  defences. 

')  Having  received  the  Doctor's  cap  after  priesthood,  in  1837  he  was  made 
a  Domestic  Prelate  by  Gregory  XVI.,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  governor 
of  Benevento,  and  then  of  Perugia. 

*)  In  a  sacred  Consistory  held  Jan.  27, 1843,  he  was  named  Archbishop  of 
Damietta  and  sent  as  Nuncio  to  Belgium  (Brussels). 

67 


CARMINA 


IJmbros  en  iterum  fines,  urbemque  revisis, 
Quam  tibi  divino  flamine  iungit  amor. 

lure  sacro  imperitas  ter  denos  amplius  annos, 
Et  pleno  saturas  ubere  Pastor  oves/ 

Romano  incedis  Princeps  spectandus  in  ostro' 
Belgarumque  equitum  torquis  honore  nites.' 

Te  pia  turba,  Deo  pubes  devota,  Sacerdos 
OflSciis  certant  demeruisse  suis. 

Verum  quid  fluxos  memoras,  quid  prodis  honores  ? 
Una  hominem  virtus  ditat  et  una  beat. 

Scilicet  banc  unam,  aevo  iam  labente,  sequaris, 
Ad  Superos  tutum  quae  tibi  pandat  iter: 

Aeterna  donee  compostus  pace  quiescas, 
Sidereae  ingressus  regna  beata  domus. 

Ah!  miserans  adsit  Deus,  eventusque  secundet: 
Aspiret  votis  Virgo  benigna  tuis. 

*)  A.  1846  a  Gregorio  XVI  P.  M.,  in  sacro  Concistorio  die  19  lanuarii  habito, 
ad  Sedem  Perusinam  provehitur. 

3)  A.  1853,  in  sacro  Consistorio  habito  die  19  Decembris,  a  Pio  IX  P.  M., 
S.  R.  E.  Presbyter  Cardinalis  renuntiatur  titulo  S.  Crysogoni. 

")  Belgica  Legatione  perfunctus,  a  Leopoldo  I  Belgarum  Rege  inter  equites 
torquatos  Ordinis  Leopoldiani  adlectus  est. 

68 


POEMS 


Perugia,  new-espoused  ^  to  thee  of  God, 
Thou  seest  again,  and  Umbria's  grateful  sod. 

By  sacred  right,  full  thirty  years  and  more 
The  Shepherd  feeds  his  flock  from  ample  store. 

Then  Rome  as  Cardinal  *  saluteth  thee. 

And  Belgic  knighthood  ^  crowns  thy  ministry. 

Ah  me!  so  loyal  is  thy  people's  love, 

Thou  scarce  canst  hope  a  guerdon  from  above! 

But  why  recall  the  fleeting  shows  of  earth  ? 
One  only  wisdom  hath  perennial  worth : 

''Passeth  the  figure  of  this  world  away" — 
Follow  the  path  that  leads  to  endless  Day, 

Until  eternal  peace  be  thy  reward 

Safe  in  the  starlit  mansions  of  the  Lord! 

0  may  that  pitying  Lord  the  crown  prepare, 
And  the  sweet  Virgin  list  thy  lowly  prayer! 

1)  In  a  Consistory  held  Jan.  19, 1846,  be  was  transferred  by  Gregory  XVI.  to 
the  See  of  Perugia. 

2)  In  the  Consistory  ot  Dec.  19,  1853,  be  was  proclaimed  Cardinal  of  the 
Holy  Roman  Church,  with  the  presbyteral  title  of  St.  Chrysogonus. 

')  Haying  finished  his  mission  in  Belgium,  King  Leopold  I.  decorated  him 
with  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Leopoldine  Order. 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXVI 


AD  lEREMIAM  BRVNELLI 


BHETOREM 


JDUM  Senae  Adriacis,  Cancri  sub  sidere,  in  undis 
Mersor,  caerulei  mulcet  et  aura  freti, 


Me  salvere  iubes,  et  pignus  mittis  amoris, 
Vota,  affert  Ioachim  quae  mihi  sacra  dies. 

Quae  sit  par  dono,  dulci  iucunda  poetae, 
Quae,  Brvnelli,  animo  gratia  digna  tuo  ? 

Carmina  carminibus,  votis  et  vota  rependam : 
Te  bonus  incolumem  sospitet  usque  Deus. 

* )  Cum  Senigalliae  valetudinis  causa  moraretur. 


70 


POEMS 


TO  GEREMIA  BRUNELLI 

(Professor  of  Rhetoric) 

(1876)  1 

Whilst  I  at  Sena,  'neath  a  blazing  sky 
With  Adria's  wind  and  wave  the  Crab  defy, 

A  greeting  and  a  pledge  of  love  you  send — 
Prayers  that  your  Joachim  to  heaven  commend. 

For  such  a  gift,  to  such  a  poet  sweet, 

What  kind  of  thanks,  Brunelli,  should  be  meet  ? 

I'll  answer  song  with  song  and  prayer  with  prayer: 
'^  May  God  forever  keep  you  in  His  care!  " 


*)  Written  whilst  the  author  was  suinmering  at  Senigallia  (or  Sinigaglla), 
the  birth-place  of  Pivis  IX. 


71 


CABMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXVI 

AD  lOANNEM  AENOLFVM  SERVANZI 

EX   NOBILI  COHORTE 
STIPATOEVM  PONTIFICIS  MAXIMI 

sf^NNE  anceps  servare  fid  em  Servantivs  ?  anne 
Priscus  honorato  e  pectore  cessit  amor  ? 


Nil  dubita:  illecebrae  tentent  artesque  dolosae: 
Pontifici  immotam  servat  at  ille  fidem. 


72 


POEMS 


TO  JOHN  ARNULF  SERVANZI 

OF  THE  NOBLE  GUARD 
(1886) 

SMlND  does  Servantius  still  'preserve 
His  olden  love  and  loyalty  ? 

0  doubt  it  not!  He  shall  not  swerve 
From  service  of  the  Holy  See. 


73 


CARMINA 


S.  HERCVLANVS 

r±ERCULANUS,  insigni  sanctitate  vir,  Perusinorum 
Episcopatum  ea  tempestate  gerebat,  cum  Gothorum  copiae 
Perusiam  obsiderent.  Civitate  capta,  capite  caesus  est.  De- 
mortui  corpus  extra  muros  proiectum  humaniores  quidam  viri 
honesta  sepultura  affecerunt.  Quod  quadraginta  post  diebus 
cum  reduces  in  urbem  owes  effodissent,  in  aede  Petri  Prin- 
dpis  Apostolorum  sanctiore  loco  composituri,  integrum  atque 
omni  parte  incorruptum  invenerunt,  sic  praeterea  con- 
glutinata  ad  collum  cervice,  ut  vestigia  incisionis  nulla 
apparerent.  ^  Hunc  Perusini  Patronum  caelestem  salutarem 
venerantur  et  colunt:  cuius  honori  aedem  a  solo  aedijicatam 
maiorum  pietas  dedicavit. 

»)  Ex  lib.  Ill  Dial.  S.  Gregorii  Magni. 


74 


POEMS 


ST.  HERCULANUS 

(1874) 

xd  ERCULANUS,  a  man  of  remarkable  sanctity,  was 
Bishop  of  Perugia  at  the  time  when  the  Goths  were 
besieging  the  city.  Upon  its  capture,  he  was  beheaded; 
and  his  body,  cast  outside  of  the  walls,  was  decently 
buried  by  some  kindly  hands.  Forty  days  afterwards, 
the  citizens  returned  to  Perugia,  and,  desiring  to  give 
the  body  a  holier  resting-place  in  the  church  of  S. 
Peter,  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  had  it  disinterred.  It 
was  found  to  be  whole  and  incorrupt  in  every  part,  the 
head  and  neck  being  joined  so  thoroughly  that  no  trace 
of  the  incision  could  be  found.  The  people  of  Perugia 
venerate  him  as  their  heavenly  Patron,  while  the  piety 
of  their  ancestors  built  and  dedicated  a  church  in  his 
honor. 


75 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXIV 


IN    HONOREM 


S.  HERCULANI 

1  UTELA  praesens  patriae 
Salve,  Hercvlane:  filiis 
Adsis,  precamur,  annuo 
Qui  te  canunt  praeconio. 


Furens  Getharum  ab  algidis 
Devectus  oris  Totila, 
Turres  Perusi  et  moenia 
Ope  obsidebat  barbara. 

lamque  ingruebat  arcibus 
Glades  suprema:   angustiis 
Urbs  pressa  ubique:  civium 
Ubique  luctus  personal. 

At  Pastor  invictus,  vigil 

Stas,  Herculane;  et  anxio 
Pavore  fracta  pectora 
Metu  et  soluta  roboras. 
76 


POEMS 


SAINT  HERCULANUS 

(1874) 

O  MIGHTY  Guardian  of  this  land, 
Hail,  Herculanus,  holy  Priest! 

Stretch  forth  to  us  a  helping  hand, 
Who  sing  thy  yearly  Feast. 


Forth  of  the  bleak  Gethaean  shore 
The  furious  Totila  had  burst. 

And  fair  Perugia's  walls  no  more 
Withstood  his  horde  accurst. 


For  lo !  its  bulwarked  citadel 
Is  sore  beset  and  blood-besprent. 

And  all  the  streets  the  chorus  swell 
Of  grief  and  loud  lament. 


But  Thou,  unmoved  amid  the  shock 
And  din  of  war,  a  Shepherd  still, 

Dear  watch  and  ward  keep'st  o'er  thy  flock 
To  save  from  threatened  ill. 


CARMINA 


Ardens  et  ore:   ''pro  fide 
Pugnate  avita,  filii; 
Dux  ipse  vester;  Numini 
Servate  templa  et  patriam." 

Hac  voce  genti  reddita 
Insueta  virtus  et  vigor; 
Mens  una  cunctis,  praelio 
Certare  forti  et  vincere. 


Septem  vel  annos,  te  duce/ 
Urbem  stetisse  est  proditum, 
Et  barbarorum  copias 
CaesaSj  retusos  impetus. 

Praecurris  omnes;  occidis 
Spectandus  invicta  fide, 
Virtute  frangi  nescia, 
Et  glorioso  funere. 

Namque  urbe  subiecta  dolo, 
Non  vi,  occupatis  moenibus, 
Dulci  pro  ovili  sanguinem 
Vitamque  laetus  fundere, 


»)  Huius  spatium  obsidionis  historici  recentiores  baud  longius  septem 
mensibus  producunt.  Quain  sententiam  nee  affirinare,  nee  refellere  in 
auimo  est. 

78 


POEMS 


Thy  words  are  shafts  of  fire:   "  The  sword 
Must  save  the  Faith!  your  foes  withstand! 

Strike  for  the  altars  of  the  Lord, 
Strike  for  the  fatherland ! ' ' 

Thy  voice  endues  each  nerveless  arm 

With  strength  and  power  as  from  on  high: 

They  fear  no  more  the  loud  alarm, 
But  fight  to  win — or  die. 


Long  seven  years  (the  story  runs)  ^- 
Thy  leadership  the  city  saved; 

The  thronging  hosts  of  Dacia's  sons 
In  vain  their  banners  waved. 


Alack,  the  fatal  day  when  Thou, 
Foremost  in  faith  and  love  arrayed, 

Laid'st  in  the  dust  thy  priestly  brow, 
Not  conquered,  but  betrayed. 

'T  is  guile,  not  prowess,  conquereth! 

The  foe  is  swarming  o'  er  the  walls : 
For  thy  dear  flock  Thou  greetest  death 

As  one  who  gladly  falls. 


^)  According  to  recent  historians,  the  siege  lasted  but  seven  months- 
view  ■which  it  is  not  our  purpose  either  to  afl&rm  or  to  deny. 

79 


CARMINA 


Desaevientis  Totilae 

lussu,  sub  ictiim  cuspidis 
Procumbis  insons  victima, 
Auctus  corona  martyrum. 


Et  nunc  beata  caelitum 

Regnans  in  aula,  patriam 
Pastor,  Patronus  et  Parens 
Felix  bonusque  sospitas. 


Laetare  Etrusca  ci vitas  ^ 
Tanta  refulgens  gloria; 
Attolle  centum  gestiens 
Caput  decorum  turribus. 


Novo  petita  praelio 

Tu  vim  repellas  impiam, 
Et  usque  fac  refulgeas 
Fide  Herculani  pulcrior. 


^)  Perusia,  veteri  italicarurn  regionum  descriptione,  Etruriae  finibus  con- 
tinebatur,  cum  Etruscorum  gens  Tyrrheno  mari  et  Apenuino,  Macra  et 
Tiberi  fluviis  terminaretur. 


80 


POEMS 


When  Totila  the  merciless 

Decrees  for  Thee  the  severing  sword, 
Thou  diest — but  thy  people  bless 

A  Martyr  of  the  Lordl 


And  now,  in  mansions  of  the  blest,  • 
Thou  reignest  'mid  the  heavenly  band, 

As  '' Shepherd,  Father"  still  addressed, 
To  save  thy  fatherland! 


O  thou  Etruscan  city  fair. 

Rejoice,  such  glory  thou  hast  found; 
Lift  up  thy  head  beyond  compare. 

With  hundred  turrets  crowned! 


Though  now  by  falser  foes  beset, 
Fight  still  the  battle  of  the  free — 

The  Faith  thy  Patron  kept,  be  yet 
More  beautiful  in  thee! 


81 


CARMINA 


S.  CONSTANTIVS 

O  ONSTANTIUS  Perusiae  christianis  parentibus  natuSy 
virtute  aetatem  antegressus,  Episcopus  patriae  suae  factus 
est.  Is  propter  studium  christiani  nominis  multa  dictu 
gravia^  perpessu  aspera  invicto  animo  pertulit  Nam 
primum  pugnis  contundi  iussus,  deinde  in  thermis  inchidi 
septuple  vehementius  accensis ;  sed  aquis  Dei  nutu  repente 
tepefactis,  e  summo  discvknine  evasit  incolumis.  Mox 
prunarum  cruciatu  fortissime  perfunctus,  coniicitur  in  cus- 
todiam:  unde  christianorum  opera  extractum  satellites 
imperdtorii  comprehendunt,  et  vi  vulnerum  prope  conficiunt. 
Continuo  tamen  ille  divinitus  convaluit:  tunc  Assisium  in 
carcerem  rapitur.  Paullo  post  illinc  eductus,  cum  quamlibet 
carnificinam  suhire  mallet^  quam  a  proposito  disseminandae 
catholicae  religionis  desistere,  idcirco  in  trivio  apud  Pal- 
ginium  nobile  martyrium  fecit,  Marco  Aurelio  Vero  Im- 
peratore,  Sotere  Pontifice  maximo.  Sacrum  eius  corpus 
inhumatum  proiectum  Levianus,  magna  pietate  vir,  dome 
Fulginio,  ab  Angelo  in  somnis  admonitus,  venerabundus 
feretro  composuit.  Quod  cum  Perusiam  deduceretur,  ea  res 
miraculo  fuit,  quod  sacrarum  reliquiarum  vectores  repente 
lumen  oculorum,  quo  antea  carebant,  recepere.  Martyrem 
fortissimum  Perusini  summa  religione  colunt,  eiusque  me- 
moriam,  templo  extructOj  consecrarunt 


82 


POEMS 


ST.  CONSTANTIUS 

GONSTANTIUS  was  bom  in  Perugia,  of  Christian 
parents.  Achieving  a  virtue  that  outran  his  years,  he 
was  elected  Bishop  of  his  fatherland.  He  was  perse- 
cuted because  of  his  zeal  for  Christianity,  and  endured 
with  unflinching  courage  much  grievous  suffering. 
First  of  all  he  was  ordered  to  be  beaten,  then  to  be  shut 
up  in  the  baths,  which  were  heated  sevenfold  more 
than  usual.  God  willed,  however,  that  the  water 
should  suddenly  become  lukewarm ;  and  thus  he 
escaped  unharmed.  Forced  to  walk  over  live  coals,  he 
-bore  the  torment  with  the  greatest  fortitude,  and  was 
then  cast  into  prison.  Thanks  to  the  efforts  of  some 
Christians,  he  escaped,  only  to  fall  again  into  the 
hands  of  the  Emperor's  satellites,  who  wounded  him 
nigh  unto  death.  By  divine  help,  however,  he  im- 
mediately recovered,  and  was  then  hurried  off  to  Assisi 
and  again  cast  into  prison.  Shortly  afterwards  he  was 
led  forth  to  trial;  but  declaring  that  he  preferred  to 
suffer  any  kind  of  death  rather  than  give  up  his  pur- 
pose of  spreading  the  Catholic  religion,  he  achieved  a 
noble  martyrdom  at  the  cross-roads  of  Foligno,  during 
the  reign  of  the  emperor  Marcus  Aurelius  Verus  and  the 
pontificate  of  Soter.  His  body,  which  had  been  cast 
forth  unburied,  was  reverently  placed  on  a  bier  by  Levi- 
anus  of  Foligno,  a  man  of  great  piety,  who  had  received 
in  sleep  an  angelic  admonition  to  that  effect.  While  the 
body  was  being  carried  back  to  Perugia,  a  wonderful 
thing  happened.  The  bearers  of  the  sacred  relics,  who 
were  blind,  suddenl}^  received  their  sight.  The  people 
of  Perugia  entertain  the  greatest  reverence  for  the  mighty 
Martyr,  and  have  dedicated  a  church  to  his  memory. 

83 


CARMINA 


IN   HONOREM 

S.  CONSTANTII 

AN.    MDCCCLXXVTII 

I 

FaVETE  Unguis;  hinc  procul 
Este,  o  profani;  crastinus  ^ 
Solemnibus  Constantii 
Sacer  dies  est  martyris. 

0  Dive,  praesens  o  tuae 
Salus  decusque  patriae! 
Redi  auspicatuSj  iam  redi 
Umbris  colendus  gentibus. 

Te  heroa,  te  fortissimum 
Efferre  caelo  Marty  rem, 
Oblita  laudes  Caesarum, 
Turrena  gestit  canticis. 

Hyems  rigescit,'  asperis 
Montes  pruinis  albican  t, 
Solisque  crines  frigido 
Irrorat  imbre  Aquarius. 

*)  Scriptus  est  hymnus  ob  praeludium  diei  festi. 
")  Sacra  sollemnia  ob  memoriam  S.  Constantii  agimtnr  IV  Kal.  Febr. 

84 


POEMS 


SAINT  CONSTANTIUS 


(1878) 

(jEASE,    babbling  tongues  !    Whom  earth  de- 
Begone!  for  't  is  the  holy  eve^  Pigtits, 

Of  the  great  Feast  that  shall  receive 
A  Martyr's  solemn  rites. 

0  mighty  Patron  saint,  who  art 
The  guardian  glory  of  this  land, 
Auspicious  view  the  honors  planned 
By  Umbria's  faithful  heart. 

It  leaps  with  joy  to  lift  thy  name, 
Heroic  Martyr,  to  the  skies, 
Forgetful  of  the  tarnished  prize 
That  crowns  a  Caesar's  fame. 

Now  snowy  whiteness  heaped  upon 
Each  mountain-peak,  the  Winter^  views; 
Aquarius  with  frozen  dews 

Drenches  the  bright-haired  sun. 

»)  The  hymn  was  written  for  the  Eve  (or  Vigil)  of  the  Feast, 

»)  The  Feast  of  St.  Constantius  falls  on  the  29th  of  January. 

85 


CARMINA 


At  bruma  non  desaeviens, 
Non  atra  caeli  nubila 
Gives  morantur  annuls 
Rite  exsilire  gaudiis. 

Nox  en  propinquat:  cerneres 
Fervere  turbis  compita, 
Late  per  umbram  cerneres 
Ardere  colles  ignibus/ 

Urbisque  ferri  ad  moenia 
Incessu  et  ore  supplici 
Senes,  viros,  cum  matribus 
Longo  puellas  agmine. 

Ut  ventum,  ubi  ara  Martyris 
Corusca  lychnis  emicat, 
Festiva  turba  civium 
Irrumpit  ardens,  clamitat: 

*  *  0  Pastor,  e  caelo,  o  Parens 
CoNSTANTi,  adesto  filiis: " 
Pressis  sepulcro  et  dulcia 
Figit  labellis  oscula. 


')  Mos  antiquissimus  Perusiae  fuit,  ut  quotannis  pridie  natalis  S.  Con- 
Btantii  soleranis  pompa  ad  pomerium  vesperi  duceretur,  viris  comitantibus 
ac  dona  ferentibus;  quae  "supplicatio  lumiuum"  idcirco  appellata  est, 
quod  urbs  tota  facibus  cereisque,  suburbium  ignibus  ad  laetitiam  per  noctem 
eolluceret.    Fulcra  extant  de  easupplicatione  legum  municipalium  decreta. 


86 


POEMS 


Nor  Winter,  raging  o'er  the  earth, 
Nor  heaven's  cloudy  coronal, 
Delays  the  yearly  festival 
Or  chills  the  holy  mirth. 

The  twilight  deepens  into  night; 
Yet  fills  each  street  a  thronging  host: 
And  through  the  gloom  the  hills  are  crossed 
With  myriad -gleaming  light.  ^ 

Behold,  in  prayerful  guise  arrayed, 
March  to  the  walls  with  reverent  joy, 
The  gray-haired  sage,  the  guileless  boy, 
The  matron  and  the  maid. 

There  on  the  holy  Martyr's  tomb 
The  gleaming  lights  a  splendor  shed; 
While  thousand  chanting  voices  spread 
A  glory  through  the  gloom: 

"Thy  children.  Father,  deign  to  hear: 
Thy  flock,  0  Shepherd,  deign  to  bless  ! '  ^ 
Anon  a  thousand  lips  caress 
The  ancient  sepulchre. 


^)  Every  year  on  the  Eve  of  the  Feast  of  St.  Constantius,  the  Perugians, 
following  an  ancient  custom,  march  in  solemn  procession  outside  the  walls, 
bearing  oflferings.  This  is  known  as  the  "Feast  of  Lights,"  as  the  whole 
city  is  ablaze  with  torches  and  tapers,  and  the  suburbs  with  joyous  bonfires. 
Many  beautiful  municipal  decrees  deal  with  this  festivity. 

87 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXIX 


II 


1  ANDITUR  templum;  facibus  renidet 
Ara  CoNSTANTi:  celebrate  nomen 
Dulce  Pastoris,  memoresque  fastos 
Dicite  cantu. 

Impios  ritus  et  inane  f  ulmen 

Risit  indignans  lovis  et  Quirini; 
Obtulit  ferro  iuvenile  pectus, 
Obtulit  igni. 

Aestuant  thermae  saliente  flamma: 

Densa  plebs  circum  stat  anhela:  Praetor 
Clamat:  ''i,  lictor,  calida  rebellem 
Merge  sub  unda. ' ' 

Mergitur:  plantas  simul  unda  tinxit, 
Frigidus  ceu  fons  per  amoena  florum 
Defluens,  blando  recreata  mulcet 
Membra  lavacro. 

Vulgus  immoto  stupet  ore;  Praetor 
Frendet  elusus;  scelerum  ministris 
Mandat,  obstrictum  manicis  recondant 
Carceris  antro. 
88 


POEMS 


II 


(1879) 

1  HE  temple-gates  at  length  unclose; 
With  myriad  lights  the  altar  glows: 
0  joyful  greet  your  Martyr's  name 
With  loud  acclaim! 

Against  the  pagan  rites  he  strove, 
And  mocked  the  thunderbolts  of  Jove: 
Fearless  he  viewed  the  torments  dire 
Of  sword  and  fire. 

The  caldron  feels  the  leaping  flames: 
Amidst  the  breathless  crowd  proclaims 
The  praetor :  "  Lo !  the  waters  crave 
The  rebel  slave! " 

A  marvel!  'Neath  the  Martyr's  feet 
The  seething  caldron  seems  as  sweet 
As  a  cool  fount  that  sparkling  leads 
Through  flowery  meads. 

Abashed,  the  crowds  in  wonder  gaze; 
And  cries  the  praetor  in  amaze: 
"  Bind  him,  and  let  the  noisome  cell 
His  magic  quell! " 
89 


CARMINA 


Vincla  nil  terrent;  Fidei  Magister 
Liber  effaris;  Vigilum  docendo 
Pectora  emollis;  stygiusque  cedit 
Mentibus  error. 

Saevior  contra  rabies  tyranni 

Flagrat;  insontem  lacerat  flagellis, 
Sauciat  ferro,  rigidaque  plantas 

Compede  torquet. 

Nee  datum  immani  sat  adhuc  furori; 
Hostiam  diris  agit,  et  Deorum 
Numini  spreto  vovet  immolandam 
Caede  cruenta. 

Corpus  in  limo  iacet  interemptum : 
At  pius  forti  celebrandus  auso, 
Luce  pallentij  vigilans  ad  umbram 
Carceris,  ima 

Septa  pervadit  Levianus;  artus 

Colligit  sparsos;  caput  ense  truncum 
Rite  componens  fovet,  et  beata 
Condit  in  urna. 

Grande  portentum!  sacra  membra  in  urbem 
Quattuor  latis  humeris  reportant 
Lucis  expertes,  subitoque  visus 

Munere  gaudent. 
90 


POEMS 


But  chains  nor  dungeon  can  control 
The  saving  utterance  of  the  soul: 
His  guards  the  Word  of  Truth  receive, 

Hear,  and  believe! 

»■ 

New  storms  of  rage  the  tyrant  urge: 
The  guiltless  flesh  is  torn  with  scourge 
And  sword;  while  iron  shackles  greet 
The  guileless  feet. 

Nor  these  the  praetor's  wrath  appease, 
Who  to  his  slighted  deities 
The  Saint  as  victim  offereth 
In  bloody  death. 

The  corpse  is  cast  into  the  mire: 
At  daybreak  Levian  draweth  nigher 
From  out  the  friendly  shadowing  veil 
That  marks  the  gaol. 

He  comes  to  seek,  with  reverent  tread, 
The  scattered  limbs,  the  severed  head: 
At  length  the  sacred  urn  contains 
The  blest  remains. 

Four  sightless  carriers  are  found 
To  bear  it  to  Perugia's  bound; 
They  touch  the  urn:  0  prodigy 
Of  grace — they  see! 
91 


CARMINA 


Redditur  Pastor  patriae,  refulgens 
Aureis  vittis  et  honore  palmae, 
Septus  aeterna  superum  corona 
Redditur  hepos. 

Dive,  quern  templis  veneramur  Umbris, 
Umbriae  fines  placido  revisens 
Lumine,  exoptata  reduc  opimae 
Gaudia  pacis. 

Dive,  Pastorem  tua  in  urbe  quondam 
Infula  cinctum,  socium  et  laborum, 
Quern  pius  tutum  per  iter  superna 
Luce  regebas, 

Nunc  Petri  cymbam  tumidum  per  aequor 
Ducere,  et  pugnae  per  acuta  cernis 
Spe  bona  certaque  levare  in  altos 
Lumina  montes. 

Possit  o  tandem,  domitis  procellis, 
Visere  optatis  Leo  victor  oras; 
Occupet  tandem  vaga  cymba  portum 
Sospite  cursu. 


92 


POEMS 


So  comes  the  Shepherd  back,  in  calm 
Of  laurel-wreath  and  martyr-palm: 
Crowned  with  the  glory  of  the  skies 
The  Hero  lies! 

Revisit  us,  0  Patron  grand — 
This  flock  of  thine,  this  Umbrian  land; 
And  bring  with  Thee  a  rich  increase 
Of  heavenly  peace! 

A  mitred  pastor,  once  of  old 
I  shared  thy  labors,  watched  thy  fold: 
Me  didst  thou  kindly  guide  aright 
With  thy  dear  light: 

Now  Peter's  bark  through  troubled  seas 
I  guide,  and  'gainst  the  storm-fraught  breeze 
With  hope  assured  I  lift  mine  eyes 
Up  to  Thy  skies: 

O  when  the  storms  of  life  are  o'er, 
May  Leo  gain  the  peaceful  shore, 
And  to  his  shallop  frail  be  given 
The  port  of  Heaven! 


93 


CARMINA 


S.  FELICIANVS 

F'ELICIANUS  Fulginid  oriundus^  episcopus  civibus 
suis  a  S.  Victor e  Pont.  Max.  datus,  Evangelii  lumen  per 
Umbros  et  Picenos  magno  labore  propagavit.  Christiani 
nominis  caussd,  a  L.  Flavio^  Assisii  Praejecto^  iniuriis  et 
verberibus  caesus ;  delude  a  Decio  Imperatore,  cum,  Perm 
Medisque  devictis,  per  Umbriae  fines  iter  faceret,  carcere  et 
vario  cruciatuum  genere  torqueri  extrema  iam  senectute 
iussus,  ad  caelestia  martyr  migravit.  Eum  Fidginates 
adlectum  sibi  Patronum  caelestem  colunt  pietate  maxima. 


94 


POEMS 


ST.  FELICIAN 

FeLICIAN,  appointed  by  Pope  St.  Victor  to  be 
bishop  of  Foligno,  of  which  he  was  a  native,  zealously 
carried  the  light  of  the  Gospel  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Umbria  and  Picenum.  L.  Flavins,  Prefect  of  Assisi, 
ordered  him  to  be  beaten;  and  the  Emperor  Decius, 
victorious  over  the  Persians  and  Medes,  whilst  trav- 
eling through  Umbria,  ordered  him,  although  in 
extreme  old  age,  to  be  cast  into  prison  and  to  suffer 
various  kinds  of  torture;  until,  a  glorious  martyr,  he 
ascended  to  his  heavenly  fatherland.  The  Folignese 
have  chosen  him  for  their  Patron  and  worship  him  with 
the  greatest  devotion. 


95 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCXJCXCII 


AD  SANCTVM   FELICIANVM  EPISCOPVM 
MARTYREM 

HYMNVS 

Y IV AX  in  aevum  gloria  Martyrum 
Feliciani  nomen  in  aethera 

Attollat,  aramque  et  sepulcrum 
Usque  novis  decoret  coronis. 


0  Fulginatum  maxime  Praesulum, 
Patrem  salutat  laeta  precantium 
Te  turba,  patronumque  avito 
Gestit  ovans  celebrare  cultu. 


Haec  namque  sedes,  hie  tibi  credita 
Te  plebs  recepit.     Sed  pia  caritas 
Urget,  nee  in  septis  morantem 
Te  patrii  tenuere  fines. 


Reeti  tenaeem  non  labor  arduus, 
Non  bella  terrent  aspera,  dum  Crucis 
Inferre  Pieenis  et  Umbris 
Paeificum  properas  tropaeum. 
96 


POEMS 


TO  SAINT  FELICIAN,  BISHOP  AND 
MARTYR 

(1892) 

FeLICIAN  !  let  a  martyr's  fame 
Exalt  forevermore  thy  name; 
Thy  sepulchre  and  altar  strew 
With  garlands  ever  new  ! 

Foligno's  mighty  Prelate  !  see 
Thy  thronging  clients  honor  thee, 
Father  and  Patron,  as  of  yore 

With  love's  miceasing  store  I 


This  was  thy  See;  and  here  thy  fold 
A  welcome  gave,  but  could  not  hold 
A  Shepherd  long,  whose  charity 
Sought  wider  ministry. 


No  labors  could  thy  spirit  break, 
Nor  War's  alarm  thy  fears  awake; 
Thus  Umbria  and  Picenum  see 
The  Cross's  victory  ! 
97 


CARMINA 


Per  te  refulget  vivida  mentibus 
Lux  alma  veri;  diruta  numinum 
Delubra:  proculcat  ruinas 
Relligio  sine  clade  victrix. 


Ardens  in  iras  Tartarus  infremit, 
Astuque  versat  multiplici  dolos, 
Si  qua  sacerdotis  molestas 
Forte  queat  tenuare  vires. 


At  dira  passus,  praeside  Flavio, 
Felicianvs  fortior  evenit; 

Non  probra,  non  irae  minaces 
Intrepidi  vim  animi  refringunt. 


Quin  ad  supremae  munera  laureae 
Festinat  heros,  quern  senio  gravem, 
Longa  fatigatumque  pugn^ 
Dius  Amor  renovat  invents. 
98 


POEMS 


Through  thee,  the  Truth  in  glory  shines 
On  broken  altars,  falling  shrines: 
Thus  Faith  the  crown  of  triumph  wore, 
A  bloodless  Conqueror. 


Hell  launches  myriad  angry  darts 
And  proves  a  hundred  subtle  arts 
The  fruits  of  victory  to  steal 

And  quench  thy  tireless  zeal. 


Let  Flavins  work  his  tyrant  will — 
Thou  only  standest  firmer  still: 
Nor  taunts,  nor  threats,  nor  chains  can  bind 
Thy  free  and  fearless  mind. 


Yea,  rather,  to  his  laurel-wreath 
The  Hero  hastens,  while  his  breath. 
Feeble  with  age  and  battling  long. 

The  loving  Lord  makes  strong. 
99 


CARMINA 


Te  christiani  nominis  impetit 
Cruentus  hostis;  caesarea  ferox 
Lauro,  triumphatisque  Persis, 
Vincere  te  Decius  laborat. 


Sed  quid  voluntas  effera  Caesaris, 
Aut  imminentis  carnificis  furor 
Possint?     Deus  te  nil  paventem 
Praesidio  potiore  firmat. 


Devota  Christo  victima  concidis; 
Caeli  coruscans  regia  panditur, 
Festaque  praecinctum  corona 
Excipiunt  Superum  cohortes. 


Ceu  Sidus  istinc  usque  renideas 
Umbris  amicum  gentibus  aurea 
Cum  luce,  caligantis  aevi 
Per  dubios  radiante  cursus. 
100 


POEMS 


Victorious  o'er  the  Persian  host, 

Yet  hating  Christ's  dear  Name  the  most, 

Crowned  with  imperial  dignity, 

Decius  would  conquer  Thee  ! 


And  yet,  what  power  in  Caesar's  will, 
Or  in  his  hangman's  threatening  skill? 
Unto  his  servant  God  shall  yield 
A  still  more  potent  shield. 


Christ's  victim  fallest  thou — behold, 
The  gates  of  Paradise  unfold  ! 
Midst  heavenly  armies  thou  art  found 
With  festal  garlands  crowned  ! 


Shine  forth  from  out  thy  heaven  afar, 
O'er  Umbria's  fields,  0  friendly  Star; 
The  bhnd  earth  gropes  thro'  devious  ways- 
Send  forth  thy  golden  rays  ! 
101 


IN  SACRAM  FAMILIAM 
lESVM  MARIAM  JOSEPH 


HYMNS  IN  HONOR 

OF  THE 

HOLY  FAMILY 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCXCII 

IN  SACRAM  FAMILIAM 
lESVM  MARIAM  JOSEPH 

HYMNI 
I 

(J  LUX  beata  caelitum 

Et  summa  spes  mortalium, 
lesu,  0  cui  domestica 
Arrisit  orto  caritas: 

Maria,  dives  gratia, 

0  sola  quae  casto  potes 
Fovere  lesum  pectore, 
Cum  lacte  donans  oscula: 

Tuque  ex  vetustis  patribus, 
Delecte  custos  Virginis, 
Dulci  patris  quern  nomine 
Divina  Proles  invocat: 

De  stirpe  lesse  nobili 

Nati  in  salutem  gentium, 
Audite  nos  qui  supplices 
Vestras  ad  aras  sistimus. 
104 


POEMS 


THE  HOLY  FAMILY 

(1892) 

VESPER    HYMN 

(JESUSj  the  Light  of  realms  above, 

Sole  Hope  to  mortals  given, 
Whose  Childhood  crowned  domestic  love 

With  glories  caught  from  heaven  : 

Ave  Maria,  full  of  grace, 

Above  archangels  blest 
To  hold  thy  Son  in  sweet  embrace 

And  feed  Him  from  thy  breast : 

Joseph,  of  patriarchs  alone 

The  Virgin's  chosen  guide. 
Whose  heart  the  joy  supreme  hath  known 

When  Jesus  ' '  Father ' '  cried  : — 

Springing  from  Jesse's  noble  root 

To  share  a  Work  divine. 
Prosper  your  clients'  lowly  suit 

Uttered  before  your  shrine. 
105 


CARMINA 


Dum  Bol  redux  ad  vesperum 
Rebus  nitorem  detrahit, 
Nos  hie  manentes  intimo 
Ex  corde  vota  fundimus. 


Qua  vestra  sedes  floruit 
Virtutis  omnis  gratia, 
Hanc  detur  in  domesticis 
Referre  posse  moribus. 


106 


POEMS 


Now  seeks  the  sun  his  western  bed, 
And  fades  the  splendorous  day: 

Behold,  we  bow  a  reverent  head 
And  heartfelt  homage  pay. 


What  grace  and  power  of  love  made  sweet 

The  House  of  Nazareth — 
Such  may  our  hearts  and  homes  repeat 

In  birth,  and  life,  and  death  ! 


107 


CAR3IINA 


II 

ISaCRA  iam  splendent  decorata  lychnis 
Templa,  iam  sertis  redimitur  ara, 
Et  pio  fumant  redolentque  acerrae 
Thuris  honore. 

Num  iuvet  summo  Geniti  Parente 
Regies  ortus  celebrare  cantu  ? 
Num  domus  David  decora  et  vetustae 
Nomina  gentis  ? 

Gratius  nobis  memorare  parvum 

Nazarae  tectum  tenuemque  cultum  ; 
Gratius  lesu  tacitam  referre 

Carmine  vitam. 

Nili  ab  extremis  peregrinus  oris, 
Angeli  ductu,  propere  remigrat 
Multa  perpessus  Puer,  et  paterno 
Limine  sospes, 

Arte,  qua  Joseph,  humili  excolendus 
Abdito  lesus  iuvenescit  aevo, 
Seque  fabrilis  socium  laboris 

Adiicit  ultro. 
108 


POEMS 


MATIN    HYMN 

A  THOUSAND  lights  their  glory  shed 
On  shrines  and  altars  garlanded; 
While  swinging  censers  dusk  the  air 
With  perfumed  prayer. 

And  shall  we  sing  the  ancestry 
Of  Jesus,  Son  of  God  most  High  ? 
Or  the  heroic  names  retrace 
Of  David's  race? 

Sweeter  is  lowly  Nazareth, 
Where  Jesus  drew  His  childish  breath — 
Sweeter  the  singing  that  endears 
His  hidden  years  ! 

An  Angel  leads  the  pilgrim  band 
From  Egypt  to  their  native  land, 
Where  Jesus  clings  to  Joseph's  arm, 
Secure  from  harm. 

"And  the  Child  grew  in  wisdom's  ken 
And  years  and  grace  with  God  and  men; " 
And  in  His  father's  humble  art 
Took  share  and  part. 

^)  Luc.  ii.,  52. 
109 


CABMINA 


' '  Irriget  sudor  mea  membra,  dixit, 

' '  Antequam  sparse  madeant  cruore : 
* '  Haec  quoque  humano  generi  expiando 
' '  Poena  luatur. ' ' 


Assidet  Nato  pia  Mater  almo, 

Assidet  Sponso  bona  nupta;  felix 
Si  potest  curas  relevare  fessis 

Munere  amico. 


0^  neque  expertes  operae  et  laboris, 
Nee  mali  ignari,  miseros  iuvate, 
Quos  reluctantes  per  acuta  rerum 
Urget  egestas: 

Demite  his  fastus,  quibus  ampla  splendet 
Faustitas,  mentem  date  rebus  aequam: 
Quotquot  implorant  columen,  benigno 
Cernite  vultu. 


110 


POEMS 


''With  toil,"  saith  He,  ''my  limbs  are  wet. 
Prefiguring  the  Bloody  Sweat:" 
Ah!  how  He  bears  our  chastisement 
With  sweet  content ! 


At  Joseph's  bench,  at  Jesus'  side, 
The  Mother  sits,  the  Virgin-bride; 
Happy,  if  she  may  cheer  their  hearts 
With  loving  arts. 

0  Blessed  Three  1  who  felt  the  sting 
Of  want  and  toil  and  suffering, 
Pity  the  needy  and  obscure 
Lot  of  the  poor: 

Banish  the  ' '  pride  of  life  ' '  from  all 
Whom  ampler  wealth  and  joys  befall: 
Be  every  heart  with  love  repaid 
That  seeks  your  aid  ! 


Ill 


CARMINA 


III 

O  GENTE  felix  hospita, 
Augusta  sedes  Nazarae, 
Quae  fovit  alma  Ecclesiae 
Et  protulit  primordia. 

Sol  qui  pererrat  aureo 

Terras  iacentes  lumine, 
Nil  gratius  per  saecula 
Hac  vidit  aede  aut  sanctius. 

Ad  banc  frequentes  convolant 
Caelestis  aulae  nuntii, 
Virtutis  hoc  sacrarium 
Visunt,  revisunt,  excolunt. 

Qua  mente  lesus,  qua  manu 
Optata  patris  perficit ! 
Quo  Virgo  gestit  gaudio 
Materna  obire  munera  ! 

Adest  amoris  particeps 

Curaeque  loseph  coniugi, 
Quos  mille  iungit  nexibus 
Virtutis  auctor  gratia. 
112 


POEMS 


HYMN   AT   LAUDS 

O  HOUSE  of  Nazareth  the  blest, 

Fair  hostess  of  the  Lord, 
The  Church  was  nurtured  at  thy  breast 

And  shared  thy  scanty  hoard. 

In  all  the  spreading  lands  of  earth 
The  wandering  sun  may  see 

No  dearer  spot,  no  ampler  worth 
Than  erst  was  found  in  thee! 

We  know  thy  humble  tenement 

Was  heaven's  hermitage: 
Celestial  heralds  came  and  went 

In  endless  embassage. 

There,  whatsoever  Joseph  asks 

Christ  hastens  to  fulfill; 
While  Mary  loves  the  household  tasks 

That  wait  her  joyous  will. 

There,  Joseph  toileth  at  her  side 
Her  joys  and  griefs  to  share, 

With  thousand  ties  knit  to  his  bride, 
Of  love  and  work  and  prayer. 
113 


CARMINA 


Hi  diligentes  invicem 

In  lesu  amorem  confluunt. 
Utriqiie  lesus  mutuae 
Dat  caritatis  praemia. 

Sic  fiat,  ut  nos  caritas 

lungat  perenni  foedere, 
Pacemque  alens  domesticam 
Amara  vitae  temperet ! 


114 


POEMS 


Yet  how  their  bosoms  constant  burn 

And  deeper  ardors  prove 
In  love  of  Christ,  whose  eyes  return 

Tokens  of  mutual  love! 


0  then,  in  all  the  homes  of  earth, 
Be  Love  the  bond  of  life: 

May  it  enthrone  at  every  hearth 
The  peace  that  husheth  strife! 


115 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXIIl 

AD  FLORVM 
JP  LORE  puer,  vesana  diu  te  febris  adurit: 
Inficit  immundo  mollia  membra  situ 

Dira  lues;  cupidis  stygio  respersa  veneno, 
Nee  pudor  est,  labiis  pocula  plena  bibis. 

Pocula  sunt  Circes:  apparent  ora  ferarum; 
Vel  canis  immundus,  sus  vel  arnica  luto. 

Si  sapis,  0  tandem  miser  expergiscere,  tandem, 
Ulla  tuae  si  te  cur?,  salutis  habet. 

Heu  fuge  Sirenum  cantus,  fuge  litus  avarum, 
Et  te  Carthusi,  Flore,  reconde  sinu. 

Certa  erit  inde  salus;  Carthusi  e  fontibus  hausta' 
Continuo  sordes  proluet  unda  tuas. 

»)  Admissus  nuper  est  ad  Pontificem  maximum  Leonem  XIII  quid  am 
nobili  genere  adolescens,  dccimum  sextum  aetatis  annum  vix  supei^essus 
idemque  macilento  ore  et  exlenuatis  viribus.  Quod  cum  ipse  licentiona 
vitae  interaperantia  factum  non  dissimularet,  et  dolenter  ferre  videietur- 
admonitus  est,  prospiceret  saluti  suae  opportuneque  in  asceterium  ali, 
quandiu  secederet,  eluendis  animi  sordibus  unice  vacaturus.  Id  quo  facilius 
assequeretur,  suasit  adolescenti  Pontifex  ut,  qua  maxima  posset  attentione, 
perlegeret  aureum  ilium  de  quatuor  Hominis  Kovissimis  librum,  scilicet 
auctore  Dionysio  Carthusiano,  qui  copia  et  sanctitate  doctilnae  divini  nomen 
inveuit.    Earn  Pontifex  rem  his  versibus  complexus  est. 

•)  Ex  cousideratione  scilicet  rerum,  quae  sunt  homini  novisKimae. 

116 


POEMS 


TO  FLORUS' 

(1883) 

liONG  hath  a  sickly  fever-flame 
Consumed  thee,  Florus;  and  thy  shame 
Speaks  from  thy  wasted  frame. 

Ah  me!  the  chahce  at  thy  lips, 
Whereof  thy  eager  passion  sips, 
With  Stygian  poison  drips. 

'Tis  Circe's  cup!  the  sorceress  queen 
Transforms  her  guests  to  dogs  unclean 
And  swinish  herd  obscene. 

0  then,  if  thou  wouldst  yet  be  wise, 
And  gain  thy  heavenly  Paradise, 
From  the  foul  banquet  rise  I 

Fly  siren-song  and  hungr}^  shore 
That  wait  to  wreck  thy  bark;  implore 
Help  from  Carthusian  lore:' 

Drink  deeply  of  that  fount  divine; 
The  filthy  lees  of  Circe's  wine 
Wash  from  that  soul  of  thine  ! 

MA  young  nobleman,  scarcely  past  Ms  sixteenth  year,  but  thin  and 
emaciated,  gained  aAidience,  recently,  of  the  Supreme  Pontiff",  Leo  XIII. 
He  did  not  conceal,  but  rather  sorrowfully  admitted  the  fact,  that  his  physi- 
cal condition  was  due  to  his  licentious  manner  of  life ;  and  he  was  accord- 
ingly warned  to  consult  for  his  salvation  by  entering  a  House  of  Retreat, 
where  he  should  spend  some  time  in  the  task  of  purifying  his  soul.  To  suc- 
ceed the  better,  the  Pontiff  counselled  him  to  read  with  the  greatest  atten- 
tion that  golden  book  on  the  Four  Last  Things,  written  by  Denis  the 
Carthusian,  who,  because  of  his  wide  learning  and  holiness,  was  surnamed 
the  Divine.    The  poem  deals  with  this  incident. 

')  Namely,  by  a  consideration  of  the  Last  End  of  Man. 

117 


CARMINA 


AH.    MDCCCLXXXV 

AD  EVMDEM 

NE  SE  VOLVPTATVM  ILLECEBRIS  CAPI  PATIATVR 

1  HANTASIA,  illecebris  effingens  lubrica  menti, 
Vere  est  tartarei,  qui  latet,  anguis  opus. 

Exitiale  opus  hoc;  astusque,  artesque  dolosas 
Excutere  assiduus  sit  tibi,  Flore,  labor. 

Eia  age:  certantem  te  lumine  spectat  amico, 
Certantem  auxilio  roborat  ipse  Deus. 

lamque  fugit,  rabidusque  et  pugna  elusus  inani 
Mersat  se  stygia  luridus  anguis  aqua. 


118 


POEMS 


TO  THE  SAME 

(1885) 

1  HE  flowery  meads  through  which  you  pass 
In  fancy,  are  but  Hell's  morass — 
A  Serpent  hideth  in  the  grass  ! 

This  deadly  field  hath  Satan  sown: 

Do  thou  his  crafty  arts  disown, 

And  hate  the  pleasures  thou  hast  known. 

Courage  and  earnest  work  be  thine; 
The  Lord  looks  on  with  eye  benign, 
And  nerves  thy  will  with  strength  divine. 

Already,  see,  by  Grace  o'erborne, 
The  baffled  Serpent  flies  the  morn, 
And  hides  in  St^^gian  caves  forlorn  I 


119 


CARMTNA 


AN.  :MDCCCLXXXin  ^ 


lUSTITIAM  colui;  certamina  longa,  labores, 
Ludibria,  insidias,  aspera  quaeque  tuli; 


At  fidei  vindex  non  flectar;  pro  grege  Christi 
Dulce  pati,  ipsoque  in  carcere  dulce  mori. 


»)  Inscripsit  sub  imagine  sua,  cum  S.  Gregorii  VII.  dicta  meminisset:  Dilexi 
iustitiam  et  odivi  iniquitatem,  propterca  morior  in  exilio. 


120 


POEMS 


(1883)  1 

1  HAVE  loved  justice,  therefore  have  I  borne 
Conflict  and  labor,  plot  and  biting  scorn. 


Guardian  of  Faith,  for  Christ's  dear  flock  would  I 
Suffer  with  gladness,  and  in  prison  die! 


*)  Lines  written  under  his  own  portrait,  as  he  recalled  the  sajing  of  St. 
Gregory  VII.:  "I  have  loved  justice  and  hated  iniquity;  therefore  I  die  in 
exile." 


121 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCO^XXXV 
FRVSTRATA  IMPIORVM  SPE 

PONTIFICVM  ROMANORVM  SERIES 

NON  INTERMITTITVR 

iJCCIDIT   inclamant,  solio  delectus,  in  ipso 
Carcere,  in  aerumnis  occidit  ecce  Leo. 


Spes  insana:  Leo  alter  adest,  qui  sacra  vol  antes 
lura  dat  in  populos,  imperiumque  tenet. 


122 


POEMS 


(Versione  libera) 

O  ODE  un  grido  :  nel  career  dal  soglio, 
Nelle  ambasce  si  spense  Leon. 

Grido  insano  :  gia  impera  dal  soglio 
Prence  e  Padre  un  novello  Leon. 


123 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXV 
FRUSTRATA   IM RIORUM   SPE 

PONTIFICVM  EOMANORVM  SERIES 

NON  INTERMITTITVR 

(JCCIDIT,  inclamant,  solio  delectus,  in  ipso 
Carcere,  in  aerumnis  occidit  ecce  Leo. 


Spes  insana:  Leo  alter  adest,  qui  sacra  volentes 
lura  dat  in  populos,  imperiumque  tenet. 


124 


POEMS 


''EVEN  TO  THE  CONSUMMATION  OF  THE 
WORLD " 

(1885) 

JJEO  is  fallen!  '^ — List  the  clamorous  cry: 
'*  Broken  with  cares,  in  prison  shall  he  die!  " 

Vain  is  the  hope:  another  Leo  wields 

The  sceptre,  and  his  flock  from  error  shields! 


125 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXV 


ECCLESIAE 

AVSPICATVS  TRIVMPHVS 

ET  IN  COMMVNE  BONVM  KESTITVTA  PAX 

sAUGUROR:  ecce,  viden',  crebris  micat  ignibus  aether; 
Nimboso  apparent  signa  corusca  polo. 

Continuo  effugiunt,  subitoque  exterrita  visu 
Tartareos  repetunt  horrida  monstra  lacus. 

Gens  inimica  Deo  portentum  invita  fateri, 
Fletuque  admissum  visa  piare  scelus. 

Tunc  veteres  cecidere  irae,  tunc  pugna  quievit; 
lamque  fera  emollit  pectora  dulcis  amor; 

Quin  et  prisca  redire  audet  neglectaque  virtus, 
Intemerata  fides,  et  sine  fraude  pudor. 

Mox  olea  praecincta  comas  Pax  educat  artes; 
Uberi  et  alma  sinu  Copia  fundit  opes. 

lUustrat  vetus  ilia  Italas  Sapientia  mentes: 
Longius  errorum  pulsa  proterva  cohors. 

0  laeta  Ausoniae  tellus!  o  clara  triumpho! 
Et  cultu  et  patria  relligione  potens. 
126 


POEMS 


AN  AUGURY  OF  TRIUMPH 

JVllNE  eye  prophetic  scans  the  darkling  heaven 
With  dawn's  bright  arrows  riven: 

Forthwith  the  horrid  crew  of  hellish  error 
Flies  to  the  Stygian  pool  in  terror! 

God's  enemies,  compelled  to  view  the  vision, 
Confess  with  tears  their  long  misprision. 

The  centuried  hates,  the  olden  strifes  are  ended: 
Victorious  Love  hath  all  amended! 

Now  exiled  Virtue  seeks  again  her  dwelling, 
Of  stainless  faith  and  candor  telling; 

Peace,  olive-wreathed,  bids  art  and  science  flourish, 
And  Plenty's  horn  is  here  to  nourish: 

In  vain  shall  Hell  its  myriad  errors  muster — 
Here  Wisdom  shines  with  olden  lustre. 

0  blessed  Italy!  0  wondrous  glory! 

0  Faith  enshrined  in  art  and  story! 
127 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXVI 

SANCTVS  lOANNES  BAPTISTA 

PRAECVRSOR 
I 

JDeSERTAS  ludaeae  oras  Baptista  pererrans, 
Tegmen  cui  corium,  mella,  locusta  cibus, 

0  vos,  errorum  mersae  caligine  caeca, 
Audite,  o  gentes,  verba  salutis,  ait. 

Instat  summa  dies;  venturam  ludicis  iram 
Effugite:  o  tandem  poeniteat  scelerum; 

Delete  haec  gemitu  et  lacrimiSj  Numenque  piate; 
Sic  tutum  ad  caeli  regna  paratur  iter. 


128 


POEMS 


ST.  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST 

THE    PEECURSOR 

(1886) 

I 

IN  the  Judean  solitude, 

Clad  in  the  skins  of  beasts  he  stood — 

Locusts  and  honey  wild,  his  food. 

He  crieth  in  the  wilderness: 

0  ye  whom  clouds  of  error  press, 

Hear  me,  and  all  your  sins  confess  ! 

The  awful  Day  of  God  is  nigh; 
From  His  tremendous  judgments  fly; 
With  sorrowing  tears  beseech  the  sky: 

Wash  out  your  sins  with  sigh  and  groan, 
And  for  your  wdcked  past  atone — 
The  way  to  Heaven  is  this  alone  ! 


129 


CARMINA 


II 


jNON  aliena  licet,  rex  impie,  frangere  iura 
Non  licet  uxorem  fratris  habere  tuam. 


Hac  olim  impavidus  clamabat  voce  Joannes: 
Vox  eadem  e  vultu  reddita  clamat  adhuc. 


Utrumque  epigramnia  Pontifex  insculpi  iiissit  in  theca  magua  elegantioris 
operis,  quam  novissime  ad  custodiendum  sanctissimi  Praecursoris  Caput  re- 
fecit,  et  in  privato  sacrario  suo  coUocavit. 


130 


POEMS 


II 


OACRED  are  others'  rights,  0  impious  King: 
Unlawful  't  is  to  have  vour  brother's  wife !  " 


The  voice  that  erst  so  fearlessly  did  ring 

Still  speaks  from  out  this  casket  as  in  life  ! 


The  Pontiff  had  these  epigrams  engraved  on  a  lar-e  reliquary  of  elegant 
workmanship,  which  had  been  recently  repaired  for  the  purpose  of  enclos- 
ing the  Head  of  the  most  holy  Precursor,  and  which  the  Pontiff  placed  in 
his  private  treasury  of  sacred  articles. 


131 


CABMINA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXVII 

IN  lESVM  CHRISTVM 

A  SANCTO  lOANNE  PRAECVRSORE 
BAPTIZATVM  ^ 

JVlONTANA  Galilaeae  olim  regione  relicta, 
Arida  lordanis  qua  vagus  arva  rigat, 

Baptista  advenit,  divino  numine  ductus, 
Lustrali  gentes  spargere  iussus  aqua. 

Certatim  ad  flumen  properat  plebs  agmine  denso  ; 
Tingitur;  afifuso  sanctior  imbre  redit. 

Ecce  autem  e  turba  (cupide  mirantur  euntem 
Obtutu  tacito)  magna  Dei  Soboles, 

Progreditur  Iesvs,  maiestatisque  verendae 
Demisso  celat  vultu  habituque  iubar. 

InsoDS  sanctusque  adspergi  fiuvialibus  undis 
Suppliciter,  sontis  more  modoque,  petit. 

1)  Tunc  cxibatad  euni  lerosolyma,  et  omnis  ludaea,  et  omnis  regio  circa 
lordanem;  ct  baptizabanturab  eo  in  lordane  .  .  .  Tunc  Acnit  le&us  a 
Galilaea  in  lordanem  ad  loannem,  ut  baptizarotur  ab  eo.  loannes  aiitem 
prohibebat  eum,  dicens:  Ego  a  te  debeo  baptizaii,  et  tu  venis  ad  me? .  .  . 
Baptizatus  autcm  Icsus,  confestim  ascendit  de  aqua;  el  ecce  aperti  sunt  ei 
cacli :  et  vidit  Spiritum  Dei  descendentem  sicut  colunibam,  et  venientera 
super  se.  Kt  ecce  vox  de  caclis  dicens:  Hie  est  lilius  nieus  dilectus,  in  quo 
milii  complacui.  (  Matth.  hi.) 

132 


POEMS 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  CHRIST 


(1887) 

Forth  of  the  Inlly  Galilean  land, 
Unto  the  Jordan's  mystic  strand, 

The  Baptist  came,  led  by  the  hand  of  God, 
To  wash  the  nations  in  its  flood. 

Hither  the  pressing  multitudes  have  hied 
To  be  baptized  and  sanctified. 

And  here  they  see  Him  press  the  sacred  sod — 
Jesus,  the  mighty  Son  of  God, 

Hiding,  with  downcast  eye  and  modest  grace, 
The  lightning  splendors  of  His  Face. 

The  lustral  Sign  for  guilty  sinners  meant 
He  humbly  craves — the  Innocent. 

1)  Then  Trent  out  to  him  Jerusalem  and  all  Judea,  and  all  the  couutry 
^bout  Jordan ;  and  were  baptized  by  him  in  the  Jordan  .  .  .  Then  cometh 
Jesus  from  Galilee  to  the  Jordan,  unto  John,  to  be  baptized  by  him.  But 
John  stayed  him,  saying :  I  ought  to  be  baptized  by  thee,  and  com  est  thou 
to  me?  .  .  .  And  Jesus  being  baptized,  forthwith  came  out  of  the  water; 
and  lo  I  the  heavens  were  opened  to  him  :  and  he  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  de- 
scending as  a  dove,  and  coming  upon  him.  And  behold  a  voice  from  heaven 
saying :  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.    (Matt.  hi). 

133 


CAmilNA 


Persensit  numen  Baptista;  et,  non  ego  ie,  inquit, 
3Ie  me,  adsum,  tu  me  tinge,  Magiater,  aqua. 

Pariiit  imperio  tamen  et  mandata  facessit: 
Divinumque  fluens  imbuit  unda  caput. 

Panditur  interea  radianti  lumine  caelum, 
Ipsaque  lordanis  ripa  corusca  micat. 

Continuo  nive  candidior  descendere  ab  alto 
Praepetibus  pennis  visa  Columba  polo. 

En  Deus,  ipse  Deus,  fulgente  per  aera  tractu, 
.Alitis  in  forma  conspiciendus  erat. 

Leniter  adlabens  Christum  super  adstitit;  auras 
Tum  vox  insonuit  fusa  per  aetherias: 

Fllius  hie  meus  est ;  audite,  audite  docentem., 

Quern  gemd,  aeternus  quern  mihi  iungit  amor. 

Audiit,  et  sese  tibi,  Iesv,  maximus  orbis 
Subdidit  Eoo  e  litore  ad  occiduum; 

Teque  in  vota  vocat,  tibi  iussos  reddit  honores, 
Tu  lux  vera  homini,  tu  via,  vita,  salus. 


134 


POEMS 


But  John  perceives  the  Godhead:  I  should  he 
Baptized  by  Thee,  not  Thou  by  me! 

Yet  he  obeys,  yielding  to  God's  design, 
And  bathes  the  awful  Brow  divine. 

And  lo!  the  heavens  are  rent,  and  glory  bright 
Floods  the  baptismal  sward  with  light: 

And  from  the  shining  vault  descends  a  Dove, 
And  rests  the  sacred  Head  above. 

'T  was  God,  't  was  very  God  descended  then, 
Dove-like  unto  the  ej-es  of  men  : 

And  as  It  softly  rested  on  His  head. 

Came  from  the  sky  a  Voice  that  said: 

/  am  well  pleased  ivith  my  beloved  Son  : 
Him  shall  ye  hear  ! — 0  Holy  One, 

Jesus,  thou  Son  of  God,  the  w^orld  hath  heard 
And  bowed  submissive  to  that  Word; 

And  to  thy  Name  doth  holiest  homage  pay. 
Who  art  the  Truth,  the  Life,  the  Way. 


135 


CAR3IINA 


AN.  MDCCCLXXXVII 

IN  ILLUD  PSALMI  XIII. 

Contritio  et  infelicitas  in  viis  eorum,   et  viam  pacia  non 
cognoverunt. 

1  ROLABI  in  vetitum,  turpi  sordescere  cul23a 
Si  quern  contingat,  poena  repente  comes 

Peccantem  sequitur;  pavor  occupat,  anxia  tristem 
Mordet  cura  animum,  sollicitumque  tenet. 

Excruciat  scelus  admissum,  ingeminatque  dolorem 
Impendens  capiti  vindicis  ira  Dei. 


136 


POEMS 


ON  THE  WORDS  OF  PSALM  XIII. : 

Destruction  and  nnhajypiness  are  in  their  ivays,  and  the  way 
of  peace  they  have  not  known. 

(1887) 

VY  HOSO  pursues  an  evil  course, 
Hath  made  a  comrade  of  Remorse: 

His  soul  at  once  is  made  aware 
Of  anxious  fear  and  gnawing  care; 

For  Sin  is  Sorrow  !  and  the  Lord 
Holds  o'er  his  head  the  avenging  sword  ! 


137 


CABMINA 


IN  ILLUD  ECCL.  XXXIV.  16  : 

Qui  timet  Dominum,    nihil    trepidahit^    et  non   pavebit 
quoniam  ipse  est  spes  eius. 

At  iusto  tranquilla  quies:  ceu  lenis  aquae  fons 
Decurrens  molli  in  gramine,  vita  fluit 


Nescia  curarum.     Tacitns  mortalia  spectat, 
Et  vitae  in  partem  librat  utramque  vices. 


Vis  inimica  premat;  vultus  fortuna  superbos 
Terrore,  insidiis  mutet  ad  arbitrium: 


Fortem  non  tangunt  animum,  contemnere  suetum 
Et  terere  invicto  cuncta  caduca  pede. 


Quern  paveat  ?  virtus  non  expugnabile  scutum, 
Rebusque  in  trepidis  praesidium  ipse  Deus. 


138 


POEMS 


ON  ECCL.  XXXIV.  16: 

He  that  feareth  the  Lord  shall  tremble  at  nothing,  and  shall 
not  be  afraid :  for  he  is  his  hope. 

IfSUT  to  the  just  is  peace:  no  strife 
Disturbs  the  gentle  stream  of  life. 


Fearless  he  looks  on  Death,  nor  broods 
Anxious  o'er  life's  vicissitudes. 


Though  buffeted  by  storm  and  stress 
Of  Fortune's  wanton  changefulness, 

Fate  can  not  touch  the  soul  sublime 
Taught  to  despise  the  things  of  Time. 


Whom  should  he  fear?  he  can  not  yield, 
With  God  Himself  for  sword  and  shield  ! 


139 


CARMINA 


Leo  XIII  p.  M.  vet  ex  eo  tempore,  quo  Episcopatum 
Ferusinum  Cardinalis  gerebat,  Carpinetensihus  suis  aquae 
penuria  laborantibus  cum  succurrere  impensd  sua  constitu- 
isset,  rivum  uberem  ex  monte  proximo  adducendum  curavit. 
Qui  tamen,  propter  agri  naturam  dilabentibus  scatebris, 
coepit  sensim  decrescere  ita  ut  iam  prope  intermissus  vider- 
etur.  Opus  iteratd  providentid  aggressus  est,  feliciusque 
absolvit  anno  MDCCCLXXXVIII,  aqua  ah  alio  capite 
derivata,  ac  salientibus  binis  commoditati  civlum  excitatls, 
ipsis  Kalendis  lanuariis,  quo  die  ob  memoriam  sacerdotii 
MuSj  ante  annos  quinquaginta  suscepti,  solemnia  agebantur. 


140 


POEMS 


JT  was  a  favorite  project  of  the  Pope,  when  he  was 
Bishop  of  Perugia,  to  reheve  at  his  own  expense  the 
scarcity  of  water  from  which  the  citizens  of  Carpineto 
suffered,  and  he  accordingly  had  an  abundant  supply 
led  down  from  the  nearest  mountain.  On  account  of 
the  nature  of  the  soil,  however,  the  springs  began  to 
fail  and  the  supply  gradually  lessened  until  it  seemed 
to  have  entirely  ceased.  He  therefore  sought  another 
source,  and  the  work  was  successfully  completed  on 
January  1st,  1888 — the  day  on  which  he  celebrated  the 
Golden  Jubilee  of  his  first  Mass. 


141 


CARMINA 


In  platea  maim^e  prope  Templum  pr.inceps. 
LEO.  XIII.  P.  M. 

AQVAM  .  SALVBERRIMI  .   HAVSTVS 

E  .   MONTIBVS  .    LEPINIS 

PERDVCENDAM  .   CVRAVIT 

AN  .   SAC  .   PRINC  .   X  . 

JT  ONS  ego  decurrens,  nitidis  argenteus  undis, 
Quern  cupide  irriguum  florea  prata  bibant. 


At  non  prata  bibent,  cives,  me  florea;  vestras 
Gratius  est  largo  spargere  rore  domes. 


142 


POEMS 


SONG  OF  THE  TWO  FOUNTAINS. 


In  the  great  Square  of  the  Cathedral. 

I  AM  a  silvery  fountain,  at  whose  brink 
The  flowery  meadows  love  to  drink. 


And  yet  they  shall  not !     It  belongs  to  yon, 
Ye  cits, — my  widely-scattering  dew  ! 


14; 


CARMINA 


II 

In  parte  Oppidi  superiore  prope  avitas  Pecciorum  aedes. 

•» 

JDlFFICILEM  cursum,  longosque  emensa  viarum 
Tractus,  Carpineis  hue  feror  unda  iugis. 


Namque  Leo,  Petri  regali  in  Sede  Saeerdos, 
Christiadum  toto,  qua  patet,  orbe  parens, 


Tempore  quo  dubii  commoto  murmure  belli  \ 
Suspensa  haererent  pectora  pulsa  metu, 


Incolumis  post  lustra  decern  cum  scanderet  aras, 
Pacis  sollicita  cum  prece  dona  petens, 


Cumque  soli,  primum  dulces  ubi  luminis  auras 
Ille  hausit,  vivax  corda  teneret  amor, 


')  Sub  exituni  an.  mdccclxxxviii  noii  defuere  belli  per  Europam  suspici- 
ones. 

144 


POEMS 


II 


In  Upper  Perugia,  near  the  Ancient  Ma^asion  of  the  Peccis. 

SOFTER  a  journey  long  and  drear, 

Ye  Carpinetans,  I  am  here, 

A  fount  unfailing,  cool  and  clear. 

For  Leo,  who  on  Peter's  throne 
As  Shepherd  of  his  flock  is  known 
And  loved  in  every  Christian  zone — 

What  time  to  fair  Italia' s  shore 
The  trembling  wings  of  Rumor  bore  ^ 
Rumblings  of  European  war — 

Praying  with  deep  solicitude 

For  peace,  before  the  altar  stood 

The  Priest  whom  lustres  ten  had  viewed : 

His  heart  had  never  yet  outworn 
Love  for  the  spot  where  he  was  born, 
And  balmy  airs  of  life's  young  morn: 

^)  Towards  the  close  of  the  year  1888,  Europe  was  disturbed  by  fears  of  a 
war. 

145 


CARMINA 


Me  monte  ex  imo  excussam,  me  calle  recluso 
Ad  vos,  o  cives,  carpere  iussit  iter. 


lamque  hue  per  caecos  plumbo  ducente  meatus 
Advectam,  nitido  me  capit  urna  sinu. 


Candida,  splendidior  vitro,  blandoque  susurro 
Alta  e  rupe  scatens  leniter  unda  fluo. 


Expectata  diu,  atque  hospes  gratissima  veni, 
En  veni,  vestra  ad  commoda,  dives  opum. 


Munditiae,  charisin,  vitae  usibus,  apta  saluti, 
Omine  felici  munera  plena  fero. 


Hue  ergo  properate:  libens  benefacta  Leonis 
Usque  egomet,  rivo  dulce  strepente,  loquar. 


146 


POEMS 


'Twas  then,  ye  Carpinetan  folk, 

He  bade  me  come  to  you,  and  broke 

Gently  my  immemorial  yoke, 

And  taught  my  dancing  feet  to  spurn 
The  heedless  hill-top,  and  sojourn 
For  your  sake,  in  this  chiseled  urn : 

Clearer  than  crystal  to  the  view. 
From  the  high  rocks  I  scatter  dew, 
And  sing  the  livelong  day  for  you! 

Ye  suffered  long  in  fruitless  quest 
Until  I  came — a  welcome  guest — 
With  amplest  largess  in  my  breast. 

And  who  shall  all  my  uses  tell? 
Here  in  your  very  midst  I  dwell, 
For  poor  and  rich,  for  sick  and  well. 

Come,  then,  ye  cits,  and  freely  take. 
While  I  perpetual  music  make 
Of  thanks  to  Leo  for  your  sake! 


147 


CARMINA 


AD  BEATAM  VIRGINEM  MARIAM 

PRECATIONES 

( Cum  paraphrasi  italica. ) 

I 

SrVRDET  pugna  ferox;  Lucifer  ipse,  viden', 
Horrida  monstra  furens  ex  Acheronte  vomit. 
Ocius,  alma  Parens,  ocius  affer  opem. 
Tu  mihi  virtu tem,  robur  et  adde  novum. 
Contere  virgineo  monstra  inimica  pede. 
Te  duce,  Virgo,  libens  aspera  bella  geram : 
Diffugient  hostes;  te  duce,  victor  ero. 


148 


POEMS 


I 

(  Versione  libera) 

JVlOSSA  d'  averno,  arde  feroce  pugna; 
Satana,  ve' ,  terribilmente  adugna 

Le  incaute  prede,  e  le  tartaree  squadre 

Volge  a  sua  posta.    Mi  soccorri,  o  Madre, 

Nel  fier  cimento;  il  trepidante  core 

Francheggia  e  infiamma  di  celeste  ardore. 

Se  nelF  aspra  tenzon  tua  man  mi  guida, 
Vano  e  il  furor  della  masnada  infida. 

Tu  de'  rei  mostri  la  superba  testa 

Col  virgineo  tuo  pie  premi  e  calpesta. 

Teco  saro;  ma  sol  la  tua  virtude 
Fia  che  Satan  ricacci  alia  palude. 

E  sara  tua  merce,  sara  tua  gloria 
Sull'  oste  doma  la  final  vittoria. 


149 


CARMINA 


AD  BEATAM  VIRGINEM  MARIAM 


PRECATIONES 


SHlRDET  pugna  ferox;  Lucifer  ipse,  viden', 
Horrida  monstra  furens  ex  Acheronte  vomit. 
Ocius,  alma  Parens,  ocius  affer  opem. 
Tu  mihi  virtutem,  robur  et  adde  novum. 
Contere  virgineo  monstra  inimica  pede. 
Te  duce,  Virgo,  libens  aspera  bella  geram : 
Diffugient  hostes;  te  duce,  victor  ero. 


150 


POEMS 


A  SIGH 

OF  THE  TRUSTFUL  SOUL 

Furious  rages  the  fray: 
Lucifer,  watching  intent 
For  the  uncertain  event, 

Marshals  his  hellish  array. 

Help  me,  0  Mother,  this  day; 
List  to  thy  client's  lament: 
Lo!  I  am  weak  and  o'erspent, 

Moulded  of  spirit  and  clay. 

Under  thy  virginal  heel 

Crushing  the  serpent  of  old. 

Ah !  to  thy  servant  reveal 

Power  the  prophets  foretold : 

Then  shall  my  spirit,  tho'  weak. 
Only  of  victory  speak  ! 


151 


CARMINA 


II 


sAlURI  dulce  melos,  dicere,  Mater 


AVE : 


Dicere  dulce  melos,  o  pia  Mater,  ave. 
Tu  mihi  deliciae,  spes  bona,  castus  amor, 
Kebus  in  adversis  tu  mihi  praesidium. 
Si  mens  sollicitis  icta  cupidinibus, 
Tristitiae  et  luctus  anxia  sentit  onus: 
Si  natum  aerumnis  videris  usque  premi, 
Materno  refove,  Virgo,  benigna  sinu. 
At  celeri  heu  properat  iam  pede  summa  dies. 
Detruso  stygii  daemone  ad  ima  lacus, 
Adsis,  o  Mater;  languiduloque  seni 
Lumina  fessa  manu  molliter  ipsa  tege, 
Et  fugientem  animam  tu  bona  redde  Deo. 


152 


POEMS 


II 

(  Verrsione  libera) 
(dUANTO  all'  orecchio  mio  suona  soave 
A  te,  Madre  Maria,  ripeter  aye. 

Ripeter  aye  e  dirti,  o  Madre  pia, 
E  a  me  dolce,  ineffabile  armonia. 

Delizia,  casto  amor,  buona  speranza, 
Tale  tu  se',  ch'ogni  desire  avanza. 

Quando  spirto  m'  assal  maligno  e  immondo, 
Quando  d'  ambascie  piu  m'  opprime  il  pondo, 

E  r  affanno  del  cor  si  fa  piu  crudo, 
Tu  mio  conforto,  mia  difesa  e  scudo. 

Se  a  me  tuo  figlio  apri  il  materno  seno, 
Fugge  ogni  niibe,  il  ciel  si  fa  sereno. 

Ma  gia  morte  s'  appressa:  deh!  in  quell'  ora, 
Madre,  m'  aita:  lene  lene  allora 

Quando  1'  ultimo  di  ne  disfaville, 

Colle  man  chiudi  le  stanche  pupille; 

E  conquiso  il  demon  che  intorno  rugge 
Cupidamente,  all'  anima  che  fugge 

Tu  pietosa,  o  Maria,  1'  ala  distendi, 
Ratto  la  leva  al  cielo,  a  Die  la  rendi. 


153 


CARMINA 


II 

2^URI  dulce  roelos,  dicere,  Mater  ave: 
Dicere  dulce  melos,  o  pia  Mater,  aye. 
Tu  mihi  deliciae,  spes  bona,  castus  amor, 
Rebus  in  adversis  tu  mihi  praesidium. 
Si  mens  sollicitis  icta  cupidinibus, 
Tristitiae  et  luctus  anxia  sentit  onus: 
Si  natum  aerumnis  videris  usque  premi, 
Materno  refove,  Virgo,  benigna,  sinu. 
At  celeri  heu  properat  iam  pede  summa  dies. 
Detruso  stygii  daemone  ad  ima  lacus, 
Adsis,  o  Mater;  languiduloque  seni 
Lumina  fessa  manu  molliter  ipsa  tege, 
Et  fugientem  animam  tu  bona  redde  Deo. 


154 


POEMS 


SUPPLICATION  OF  THE  LOVING  SOUL 

Hail,  mother!  the  enchanted  ear 
' '  Hail^  dearest  Mother ! ' '  loves  to  hear. 
My  love,  my  hope,  my  heart's  delight, 
In  storm-rent  seas  my  beacon-light: 
When  sinful  pleasures  woo  my  heart, 
And  thousand  fears  within  me  start. 
Thy  child  wdth  poignant  cares  opprest 
Take,  Virgin  Mother,  to  thy  breast. 
When  hastes  my  dying  hour,  repel 
The  demon  to  his  deepest  hell: 
Be  thou  with  me  in  heavenly  guise. 
Close  gently  my  age-wearied  eyes, 
And  lead  my  soul  to  Paradise. 


155 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCXCV 

PRAESIDIVM  DIVINAE  MATRIS 

ACCEPTISSIMA   ROSARI   PRECE    EXORANDVM 

Para'phrases 

I. 

jLlAC  prece,  magna  Parens,  flore  hoc  bene  olente 
rosarum 
Te  populi  unanimes  in  sua  vota  vocant. 

At  tu  laeta  libens  vota  audis,  provida  comples: 
Divinasque  manu  divite  fundis  opes. 

II 

Sistimus  ante  aras:  placido  nos  respice  vultu, 
Accepta  et  nostri  pignora  amoris  habe. 

Gemma  anroque  alii  cumulent  altaria:  florum 
Haec  tenui  in  calatho  nos  tibi  serta  damns. 

Sunt  humiles  violae,  tibi  sunt  gratissima,  Virgo, 
Candida  purpureis  lilia  mixta  rosis. 

Ill 

Dum  roseas  manibus  tractamus  rite  corollas, 
Quam  dulce  est  nomen,  Virgo,  iterare  tuum! 
156 


POEMS 


OUR  LADY'S  ROSARY 

A    PRAYER    FOR    HELP 

Interpretations ' 

(1895) 

I 

With  one  accord,  0  Mother  fair, 
Thy  children  offer  as  a  prayer 
The  scented  bloom  of  roses  rare. 

The  prayer  is  heard  and  answered;  we 
Receive  from  thy  dear  hand  the  free 
Mercies  thy  Lord  commits  to  thee! 

II 
We  kneel  before  thy  shrines  to  prove 
A  Mother's  care:  from  Heaven  above 
Accept  the  pledges  of  our  love. 

No  gems  we  bring  to  thee,  nor  gold; 

Our  little  baskets  only  hold 

The  wreathed  flowers  of  field  and  wold: 

The  lowly  violet's  penury, 
The  snowy  lily's  chastity. 
The  purple  rose's  agony! 

Ill 
And  while  our  loving  hands  would  frame 
A  worthy  chaplet,  we  proclaim 
Again  and  yet  again  thy  Name. 

^)  Of  the  word  Rosary— thaX  "most  acceptable  prayer  for  the  protection  of 
the  Mother  of  God." 

157 


CARMINA 


Praesens  o  faveas:  tu  dux  fidissima  vitae, 
Tu  certa  extremo  sis  in  agone  salus. 


IV 

Quam  bene  Gusmanus,  tua  sellers  iussa  facessens, 
Texere  nos  docuit  serta  revincta  rosis. 


Gratum  opus  in  terris  sanctumque;  at  gralius  olim, 
Si  superum  sedes  scandere  contigerit, 

Serta  tibi  laudum  nova  texere;  gratius  ore 
Laetari  aeternum,  Virgo  beata,  tuo. 


Sumite  quae  vobis  tradit  pia  serta  rosarum, 
Assiduaque  manu  nectite;  Virgo  iubet. 

Mandata  exequimur;  sed  qua  mercede?  rogamus 
Filioli,  o  Matri  fidite  munificae! 

Fidite;  namque  suis  caelo  Ipsa  insignia  servat 
Praemia;  pro  roseis  aurea  serta  dabit. 


POEMS 


Be  thou  our  favoring  Patron  here; 
Be  thou  our  Guide  in  deserts  drear; 
Be  thou  our  Help  when  death  is  near! 

IV 

How  well  thy  client  Gusman  wrought 
Thy  will  in  every  deed  and  thought — 
The  weaving  of  thy  Rosary  taught! 

On  earth,  a  grateful  task  and  sweet! 
But  oh,  more  grateful,  should  our  feet 
But  gain  at  last  the  heavenly  seat! 

Then  sweeter  far  't  will  be  to  raise 
To  thee  a  wreathed  song  of  praise^ 
0  Virgin  blest,  through  endless  days. 

V 

Take  to  your  hearts  the  roses  rare 
Your  Mother  giveth  to  your  care. 
And  joyous  weave  the  chaplet  fair. 

Lo!  we  obey  the  high  command: 
What  then  shall  be  the  guerdon  grand  ? 
0  trust  the  issue  to  her  hand! 

Yes,  trust  in  her  who  shall  unfold 
In  Heaven  her  great  reward — behold, 
For  wreathing  roses,  crowns  of  gold ! 


159 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCXCV 


ADIUTRICI  CHRISTIANORUM 

ELEGIA 

SMlT  nunc,  Virgo  potens,  victrices  te  auspice  palmas 
Maiori  plectro  concinuisse  iuvat. 

Per  te  namque  almae  victoria  nuncia  pacis 
Plus  semel  ad  veteres  risit  arnica  patres. 

Gallia,  tu  testis:  metuendas  arte  maligna 
Vis  inferna  tibi  struxerat  insidias. 

Tuque,  olim  virtute,  fide  splendescere  visa, 
Heu  priscum  misere  iam  decus  exueras  ! 

Immunda  late  errorum  vitiique  scatebas 
Illuvie,  gentes  depopulante  tuas. 

Adfuit  at  Virgo:  meritis,  pietate  verendum 
Finibus  hispanis  advocat  ipsa  Virum ; 

Cui  roseas  blando  cum  traderet  ore  coronas 
Haec,  ait,  haec  Gallis  arma  salutis  erunt. 

Hisce  armis  pugnae  occurrit  Gusmanius  heros, 
Hac  arte  enisus  clara  tropaea  tulit. 
160 


POEMS 


TO  THE  '^ HELPER  OF  CHRISTIANS" 

(1895) 

IdUT  now  the  lyre,  0  mighty  Virgin,  sings 
Thy  victories,  with  deeper-sounding  strings. 

How  oft  thy  power  proclaimed  a  glad  surcease 
Of  War,  with  white-winged  messengers  of  Peace! 

Be  thou  the  witness,  France! — When  hellish  snares 
Beset  thy  path  of  glory  unawares; 

When  thou,  for  faith  and  virtue  once  renowned, 
Didst  cast  thy  ancient  splendors  to  the  ground; 

When  vice  and  error  ruled  thy  fairest  sod, 
And  slew  with  filthy  breath  the  sons  of  God: 

Ah!  then  the  Virgin  brake  thy  hideous  chain. 
Calling  her  champion  from  chivalric  Spain, 

With  but  the  Rosary  for  eword  and  shield: 

"To  this  alone,"  she  cried,  "the  foe  must  yield  !  " 

Such  was  his  weapon — Gusman  thus  begins 
Heroic  battle,  and  the  trophy  wins; 
161 


CARMINA 


Occubuere  hostes;  rursumque  effulsit  avita 
Pulcrior  in  Gallis  candidiorque  fides. 

Tester  et  loniis  quas  cernis  Echinadas  undis: 
Vivida  adhuc  facti  fama  per  ora  volat. 

Stant  ex  adverse  instructae  longo  ordine  puppes, 
In  saeva  ardescunt  praelia  iam  mere. 

Utraque  fert  acies  signum;  haec  caeleste  Mariae, 
Lunae  triste  niinax  ilia  bicornis  habet: 

Ut  raucae  sonuere  tubae,  concurritur;  ingens 
Continuo  ad  caeli  tollitur  astra  fragor. 

Aera  tenant,  reboat  litiis,  micat  ignibus  aequor; 
Impavidi  hac  iliac  dant  fera  iussa  duces. 

Confracto  latere  et  remis  non  una  dehiscit 
Navis,  et  immensi  gurgitis  ima  petit. 

lactata  horrisono  merguntur  corpora  ponto, 
Humano  spumans  unda  cruore  rubet. 

Anccps  stat  fortuna:  pari  virtute  peracta, 
Hinc  inde  eventu  pugna  iterata  pari. 

lamque  iterum  tentanda  acies,  cum  percita  fate 
Nescio  quo  classis  Turcica,  sollicito 

Pulsa  repente  metu,  refugit  producere  pugnam, 
Et  quamvis  multo  milite  praevalida, 
162 


POEMS 


Thus,  David- like,  his  tens  of  thousands  slew, 
That  France  might  once  again  her  faith  renew. 

A  witness,  next,  from  the  Ionian  seas — 
The  far-famed  battle  of  the  Echinades. 

The  warring  vessels,  ranged  in  battle  line, 
Fling  to  the  breezes,  each  a  various  sign: 

Here  is  the  banner  of  the  Virgin  fair, 

And  here  the  Crescent  flaunts  the  fearful  air: 

The  trump  resounds — the  breathless  hush  is  riven, 
And  ceaseless  clamor  rends  the  vault  of  heaven; 

Flash  the  red  lightnings,  and  the  thunders  roar 
In  thousand  echoings  from  the  affrighted  shore. 

With  shattered  oars  and  timbers  gaping  wide, 
Sinks  many  a  vessel  in  the  expectant  tide; 

While  mangled  corpses  find  a  watery  grave, 
And  streaming  life-blood  reddens  every  wave. 

Doubtful  the  issue  stands:  with  equal  art 
Foe  strives  with  foe — uncertain  still  they  part: 

And  yet  again  the  crash  and  roar — when  lo! 
(Yv'ho  shall  divine  the  cause?)  the  Turkish  foe 

Whose  mightier  power  but  spoke  of  victory, 
Struck  with  a  sudden  terror,  turn  and  flee, 
163 


CARMINA 


Cedere  visa  loco,  et  sese,  mirabile  dictu  ! 
Ultro  Christiadum  dedere  in  arbitrium. 

Ingeminat  tunc  victor  io,  nomenque  Maeiae 
Conclamat  resonis  undique  litoribus: 

Conclamant  popiili  portentum,  Virginis  almae 
Patratum  dia  bellipotentis  ope; 

Romulidae  imprimis,  queis  mirum  ex  hoste  triumphum 
Fatidico  edixit  praescius  ore  Pivs. 

Inde  quies  et  pax  Europae  adserta  ruenti, 
Inde  stetit  patriae  Relligionis  honos. 

Seraque  posteritas  (quid  adhuc  ignava  moratur  ?) 
Eia  eventu  dignum  aggrediatur  opus. 

Sublime  attollat  pario  de  marmore  templum 
Ad  litus,  memori  gesta  ubi  pugna  loco.^ 

Hie  Virgo  templum  teneat  Regina,  tumenti 
Hie  praecincta  rosis  imperet  ipsa  mari. 


»)  Christian orum  pietas  templum  Virgiui  a  Sosario  condere  et  dedicare 
parat  in  litore  patrensi. 


164 


POEMS 


And  to  the  Christians  (wondrous  to  relate!) 
Inglorious  yield  the  strenuous  combat's  fate. 

"All  hail !  "  the  victors  cry,  "to  Mary's  Name!" 
And  echoing  shores  prolong  the  grand  acclaim. 

While  in  the  triumph  Christian  Europe  sees 
One  of  the  mighty  Virgin's  Prodigies, 

More  blest  the  Roman  eyes  that  could  behold 
A  miracle,  as  Pius  had  foretold. 

Thenceforward  peace  to  troubled  Europe  came, 
And  Christian  worshijD  gained  a  noble  fame. 

Let  coming  ages  (why  do  they  delay?) 
With  just  memorial  celebrate  the  day; 

In  snowy  marble  raise  a  temple  grand 
To  signalize  the  memorable  strand/ 

And  the  rose-crowned  Virgin  Queen  enshrine 
To  rule  the  seas  that  saw  her  wondrous  Sign  ! 


^)  Christian  piety  commemorates  the  triumph  by  the  erection,  at  Patras, 
of  a  church  dedicated  to  Our  Lady  of  the  Rosarj'. 


165 


IN  OBITU 

JOSEPHI  PECCl  CARD 

GERMANI  FRATRIS 


ON  THE  DEATH 

OF  HIS  BROTHER 

CARD.  JOSEPH  PECCI 


CARMINA 


lOSEPH 

lUSTITIAE  factum  satis  est,  poenisque  solutum  ;  * 
lam  caeli  me  templa  tenent  stellantia:  sed  tu 
Cum  tot  sustineas,  tam  grandia  munia,  debes 
Tanto  plura  Deo,  quanto  maiora  tulisti. 
Sume  animum;  fidens  cymbam  due  aequor  in 

altum : 
Sic  tibi  felices,  largo  sic  fenore  digni 
Sint  initi  sancta  pro  relligione  labores! 
Attamen  ut  valeas  olim  sublimia  caeli, 
Vltrices  fugiens  flammas,  attingere,  prudens, 
Mortali,  Ioachim,  vitae  dum  vesceris  aura, 
Et  gemitu  abluere  et  lacrimis  admissa  memento. 

IOACHIM 

OUM  vivam,  fessosque  regat  dum  spiritus  artus, 
Incensa  ex  imo  ducens  suspiria  corde, 
Ploratu  maculas  delere  enitar  amaro. 
At  tu,  qui  Superum  securus  luce  bearis, 
Confectum  aerumnis,  devexa  aetate  labantem 
Erige,  et  usque  memor  de  caelo  respice  fratrem. 
Quem    turbo    heu!     dudum    premit    horridus, 

horrida  dudum 
Fluctibus  in  mediis  commota  procella  fatigat. 

^)  losepho  Pecci  Card.,  vita  functo  vi.  Id.  Feb.  mdccclxxxx,  supplicatio- 
nibus  sacrisque  perlitatum  est  tanto  numero,  ut  sperandum  de  eo  non  im- 
merito  videatur,  ignis  iam  poena  liberatum  ad  sempiternam  in  caelis  pacem, 
Dei  benignitate,  avolavisse.— Hinc  sumptuin  carminis  argumentum. 

168 


POEMS 


JOSEPH 

Justice  is  satisfied;  the  debt  is  paid;^ 

The  starry  sky  is  mine  at  last — but  thou 

Dost  hold  a  mighty  office,  and  to  God 

Owest  the  more,  the  more  He  gives  to  thee. 

Courage !  thy  bark  still  pilot  o'  er  the  deep : 

Sweet  is  the  toil  and  worthy  great  reward. 

Which  thou  dost  undergo  for  holy  Faith! 

Yet,  that  thou  may'st  the  heights  of  heaven  scale, 

Nor  touch  the  burning  pool,  remember  well, 

0  Joachim,  amidst  thy  mortal  life. 

To  wash  away  thy  sins  with  tears  and  sighs! 


JOACHIxAI 

Y  EA,  while  the  spirit  rules  these  weary  limbs. 
Shall  I,  with  sighs  heaved  from  my  inmost  heart, 
And  bitter  tears,  strive  to  undo  my  guilt: 
But  thou,  secure  and  blest  with  heavenly  light, 
Look  on  me,  bowed  with  years,  broken  with  cares; 
And  from  thy  sky  behold  thy  brother  here, 
So  long  oppressed  with  tempest,  ah!  so  long 
Wearied  with  storm  and  stress  and  battling  waves! 


1)  The  poem  is  based  on  the  pious  hope  that  the  soul  of  Cardinal  Pecci 
(<i«  Feb.  8, 1890)  has  been,  through  the  tender  mercy  of  God  and  the  many 
prayers  and  masses  offered  in  his  behalf,  already  freed  from  purgatorial 
flames  and  taken  up  into  the  heavenly  rest. 

169 


CARMJNA 


IN  MARIAM  ELISAM  BEKNEZZO 

VIDVAM 
fESTABII 

(jONIUGIS  extincti  crudeli  funere,  Elisa, 

Vidimus  in  somnis  te  immotam  adstare  sepulcro, 
Et  siccis  oculis  premere  altum  corde  dolorem : 
Quin  etiam  cupidam,  atqiie  erecta  fronte  decoram, 
Quo  mens,  et  veteris  quo  vis  urgebat  amoris, 
Vidimus  obtutu  tacito  te  quaerere  caelum. 
Vnde  tibi  haec  virtus  ?  unde  haec  constantia  menti  ? 
Scilicet  alma  fides,  aeternae  pacis  et  auspex 
Spes  bona  nata  Deo,  te  firmo  robore  praestant 
Invictam,  tristemque  iubent  compescere  luctum. 
Lux  at  Elisa,  viden',  rutilat  nova,  et  aethera  complet; 
Aurea  templa  poli  tremulo  fulgore  coruscant. 
Coniugis  extemplo  ante  oculos  en  dulcis  imago 
Apparere  tuos,  medioque  e  lumine  visa 
Annuere,  aspectuque  tibi  adridere  sereno. 
Laetitia  exultas:  incenso  corde  supremum 
Dicis  ave;  aeternum  grata  prece  Numen  adoras. 


*)  Is  fnit  loannis  Caroli  filius,  e  patricia  Perusinorum  nobilitate,  Leoni 
XIII  apprime  carus;  quein  aetate  non  miuus  quam  ingenio  litterisque  flor- 
entem  immatura  mors  praeripuit. 


170 


POEMS 


'^FOR  LOVE  IS  STRONG  AS  DEATH  I"  ^ 

IJEATH  claimed  him,  and  he  met  the  common  doom 
In  dreams  I  see  you  stand  beside  his  tomb, 
And  tearless  press  the  swelling  sorrow  down — 
Say  rather,  glimpse  the  fadeless  laurel-crown; 
For  with  fair  brow  raised  to  the  bending  skies, 
Hopeful  you  look  toward  heaven  with  love-lit  eyes! 
Ah  I  whence  thy  strength  and  constancy  of  mind? 
Faith  nourished  it;  and  Hope  auspicious  shrined 
God's  promises  within  thy  heart!  and  so 
Thou  wouldst  not  yield  thy  soul  to  depths  of  woe. 
Anon  you  see  a  sudden  splendor  bright 
Suffuse  the  golden  gates  of  heaven  with  light! 
Open  they  swing;  and  lo!  before  your  eyes 
His  dear  face  smiles  on  you  from  Paradise. 
Ah  me,  with  what  a  joy  your  heart  must  swell! 
Inflamed  with  love  it  bids  the  last  "  Farewell," 
And  shall  with  endless  praise  besiege  God's  citadel! 


*)  Lines  to  Maria  Elisa  Bernezzo,  widoAV  of  Count  Carlo  Conestabile.  The 
count  y.as  the  son  of  Giovanni  Carlo,  of  the  patrician  nobility  of  Perugia, 
and  was  very  dear  to  Leo  XIII.  He  died  in  the  prime  of  life  and  in  the 
height  of  his  distinguished  literary  career. 


171 


CARMINA 


DE  S.  PETRO  CAELESTINO  V 

PONT.   MAX. 

1  ONERE  tergeminam  festinas,  Petre, 
Tota  ardens  uni  mente  vacare  Deo.^ 

0  te  felicem!  spernis  mortalia  regna, 
Caelicolum  largo  fenore  regna  tenes. 


^)  Petrus  Caelestinus  Aesemiae  in  Samnitibus  natus in  solitudinem 

secessit — In  Petri  Cathedram  adscitus,  cum  variis  distentus  curis,  assuetis 
incumbere  meditationibus  vix  posse  cognosceret,  oneri  pariter  et  honori 
voluutarie  cessit.    (Ex  lect.  Breviarii  Rom.  die  xix  Maii.) 


172 


POEMS 


ST.  CELESTINE  V. 

Y  OU  would  lay  down 
The  triple  crown  ^ 
To  think  of  God  alone  ? 


Dear  Saint!  you  epurn 
Earth-realms,  to  earn 
An  everlasting  throne! 

»)  Peter  Celestine,  born  at  Isernia  in  Apulia withdrew  into  solitude 

Having  been  called  to  the  Chair  of  Peter,  and  finding  that  in  the  midst  of  so 
many  distracting  cares  he  could  scarce  meditate  as  fully  as  was  his  wont,  he 
voluntarily  relinquished  both  the  burden  and  the  honor.  (From  the  lessons 
of  the  Roman  Breviary  for  May  19th.) 


173 


CARMIXA 


AD  SOCIETATEM  ROMANAM 

IVVENTVTIS   CATHOLICAE 
PETRO   APOSTOLO   NVNCVP 

ttIA  age,  carpe  alacris,  pubes  Rom  ana,  negatum 
Ignavis,  virtutis  iter;  durare  memento 
Pectore  magnanimo  pro  relligione  labores. 
Non  nisi  sudatae  debetur  laurea  fronti. 


»)  Haec  dictavit  inscribenda  sub  imagine  sua  in  linteo  picta,  qnam  ipseuiet 
Socielati  supra  dictae  dono  mislt  an.  mdccclxxxviii. 


J  74 


POEMS 


^'EEMEMBER  THY  CREATOR  IN  THE 
DAYS  OF  THY  YOUTH  " 

Enter  at  once  the  ''  narrow  path  " ; 
No  0pm,  Sesame!  it  hath: 
Long  heats  and  burdens  must  you  bear- 
Wet  are  the  brows  that  laurels  wear! ' 


*)  The  Pope  ordered  these  lines  to  be  placed  under  his  portrait  in  oil, 
"Which  he  presented,  in  the  year  1888,  to  the  Roman  Society  of  Catholic 
Youth,  named  after  the  Apostle  St.  Peter. 


175 


AD  SODALES  ARCADICOS 

ALTERO  POST  COLLEGIVM  INSTITVTVM 
EXEVNTE  SAECVLO 

NEANDER  HERACLEVS 


NEANDER  HERACLEUS 

TO  HIS  ARCADIAN  COMRADES  ON 
THE  OCCASION  OF  THEIR 

BI-CENTENARY  CELEBRATION 


CABMINA 


ARCADAS 


AD  CANENDVM  INVITAT 

Epigramma 

fei  VATICANA  vos,  Arcades,  arce  Neander, 
Olim  quern  socium  dulcis  alebat  amor 

Pieridum,  salvere  iubet,  iuga  laeta  Heliconis 
Scandere,  maeoniis  ludere  carminibus. 


Addit  vota  libens:  in  longum  floreat  aevum 
Nominis  arcadici  gloria,  priscus  honos. 


178 


POEMS 


SING,  YE  ARCADIANS ! 

NeANDER,  from  his  citadel, 
Whom  erst  the  jealous  Muses  did  compel 
In  groves  of  Arcady  to  dwell, 


Sends  greeting  unto  every  one, 
And  bids  you  scale  the  heights  of  Helicon, 
And  play  Maeonian  strings  upon. 


A  parting  wish  his  lips  would  frame: 
Perpetual  glory  to  the  Arcadian  name. 
And  amplest  wealth  of  olden  fame! 


179 


CARMINA 


II 

NEANDER  HERACLEVS 

ARCADIAE   LAVDES 
COMMEMORAT 

Elegia 

(Jul  quondam  graia  dictus  de  gente  Neander 
Rustica  deduxit  carmina  puber  adhuc, 

Aoniae  et  vitreas  Aganippes  pastor  ad  undas, 
Et  vaga  Permessi  flumina  pavit  oves; 

Nunc  senior,  premere  excels!  vos  culmina  Pindi, 
Concinere  et  versu  nobiliore,  iubet. 

Fronde  nova  redimite  comas;  numerisque  canoris 
Ingeminet  longum  tibia  vestra  melos. 

Expectata  diu,  post  saecula  bina  renascens 
Littore  ab  eoo,  Candida  fausta  dies 

Arcadiae  natalis  adest,  accepta  Camenis, 
Et  memori  vatum  rite  colenda  choro. 

Principio  arcadici  nemoris  dicatur  origo, 
Mite  solum,  argolica  nobilis  arte  locus. 
180 


POEMS 


II 

NEANDER  HERACLEUS 

SINGS    THE    PRAISES    OF    ARCADIA 

juIe  who,  in  Grecian  style,  the  name  Neander  bore, 
Full  many  a  boyish  ditty  spun  of  yore; 

At  Aganippe's  brook  his  flock  he  shepherded, 
And  by  Permessus'  wandering  w^aters  fed. 

Older,  he  bids  you  mount  Pindus,  and  joyful  see 
Lifted  to  heaven  the  fame  of  Arcady. 

Circle  with  leafy  green  your  flowing  locks;  prolong 
On  oaten  stop  the  burden  of  your  song! 

Awaited  long,  while  years  have  silent  slipped  away, 
Propitious  comes  at  length  the  natal  day 

Of  Arcady  the  blest,  dear  to  the  Sacred  Nine, 
Worthy  the  mindful  poets'  frenzy  fine. 

I  sing  how  Arcady  first  drew  each  dreaming  heart; 
How  'twas  ennobled  by  Argolic  art; 
181 


CARMINA 


Pastorum  coetus  hue  convenisse  frequentes, 
Hue  toto  insignes  qua  patet  orbe  viros, 

Neseio  qua  laudis  mentem  duleedine  captos, 
Maturasse  gradum,  dieere  ne  pigeat; 

Quorum  aliis  lauri  placuere  et  amoena  vireta, 
Et  grata  in  lueis  otia  maenaliis; 

Agresti  ealamo,  frondentis  ad  ilieis  umbram, 
Pastorum  placuit  more  eiere  sonos; 

Mox  et  lesbiaeo  modular!  carmina  pleetro 
Ad  murmur  placuit  lene  eadentis  aquae. 

Hos  inter  memorem,  et  festiva  fronde  decorum 
Dieere  amem  merita  laude  Metastasmm. 

Dulces  quem  Charites  aluerunt  ubere  pleno, 
Et  docuit  faciles  Musa  benigna  modos, 

Quemque  levi  mulcentem  aures  modulamine  cantus, 
Agnovit  vatem  Caesaris  aula  suum. 

Acrior  ast  alios  incendit  flamma,  supernas 
Altius  in  nubes  numinis  aura  levat, 

Quos  nempe  afflavit,  rapuitque  per  ardua  virgo 
Heroici  cantus  Calliopea  potens. 
182 


POEMS 


And  how  the  wandering  bands  of  shepherds — men  of 
worth, 
Illustrious  names  throughout  the  teeming  earth — 

How  to  Arcadia  their  spirits  willing  sped, 

I  know  not  by  what  subtle  sweetness  led! 

Some  did  the  laurels  please,  and  some  the  grassy  plots, 
And  some  the  darkling  ease  of  Bacchic  grots: 

Some  from  a  rustic  reed,  beneath  the  shady  oak 
Reclining,  shepherd-music  would  evoke; 

Or  on  the  twanging  lyre  in  Lesbian  numbers  dream 
To  the  soft  lullaby  of  lapsing  stream. 

First,  Metastasio,  with  festal  garlands  crowned, 
I  love  to  name,  and  his  just  praise  to  sound: 

From  never-failing  breasts  fed  by  the  Graces  Three; 
Taught  of  the  Muse  untoilsome  melody; 

Soothing  the  fretted  ear  with  his  mellifluous  tone, — 
Him  Austria's  court  imperial  made  its  own. 

Some  felt  the  sharper  flame;    and,  soaring  lightning- 
browed, 
Thundered  majestic  from  the  enveloping  cloud: 

Them  did  Calliope  compel  to  arduous  ways — 
Strong  singer  of  the  old  heroic  days. 
183 


GARMINA 


Te  ne  ego  sublimi  sileam  metuende  flagello, 
Carmine  saepe  ausum  grandia  pindarico  ? 

Patria,  magne  senex,  te  Insubria  vidit  egentem: 
Vindex  posteritas  te  super  astra  locate 

Neve  tragoedorum,  genuit  quos  itala  tellus, 
0  decus  et  vatum  maxime,  te  sileam. 

Namque  cothurnato  incedis  sublimis  et  acer, 
Et  tuto  calcas  pulpita  nostra  pede, 

Spirans  ore  minas;  Sophoclemque  e  littore  graio 
Spectandum  Ausoniis  mente  animoque  refers.' 

Salvete,  illustres  animae,  queis  nobile  in  aevum, 
Et  fato  mains  nomen  Apollo  dedit. 

Vos  divae  Aonides  vultu  adspexere  sereno, 
Maeonii  et  doctos  carminis  arte,  sacro 

Vertice  vos  Pindi,  laurea  cinxisse  corona, 
Concilio  et  gaudent  inseruisse  suo. 

Gloria  non  mendax:  victricis  praemia  frontis: 
Magnus  ab  arcadico  nomine  partus  honos. 


0  losephus  Parinias.  *)  Victorius  Alfieriua. 

184 


POEMS 


Parini,  too,  who  scourged  the  follies  of  the  time, 
Or  scaled  like  Pindar  the  far  height  sublime: 

Careless  the  fatherland  Insubrian  saw  his  need 
Whom  to  the  stars  avenging  Time  shall  lead! 

Nor  him,  Italia' s  son,  my  faithful  song  forget, 
Of  all  her  tragic  bards  the  coronet: 

For,  singing  mighty  themes,  Alfieri  could  be  seen 
Treading  with  buskined  foot  Arcadia's  green: 

His  tragic  musings  wrought  with  finest  Grecian  art, 
Renewed  the  Sophoclean  mind  and  heart. 

O  splendid  band  of  bards!  to  whom  Apollo  gave 

A  sacred  name,  and  songs  that  bridge  the  grave! 

Skilled  in  Maeonian  song,  on  you  with  kindly  mien 
The  Muses  looked,  and  gracious  brow  serene. 

Your  brows  are  wreathed  with  bays;  forever  ye  belong 
To  Fame,  enrolled  amid  the  heavenly  throng. 

O  meed  of  toilsome  Art!  0  undeceitful  Fame! 
0  glory  born  of  the  Arcadian  name! 
185 


CAEMINA 


Talia  ne  temere  viilgus  ridere  profanum 
Ausit,  neu  livens  mordeat  invidia. 

Arcadiae  at  discat  late  splendescere  sidus, 
Et  fulgore  suo  templa  tenere  poll. 

Splendeat;  inque  dies  radians  lux  in  iuga  Pindi, 
In  nemora  et  colles  largior  usque  fluat. 

Haec  sacra  Pieridum  sedes;  hie  rore  perenni 
Castalii  latices  plenius  arva  rigant. 

Hos  haurire  datum  Arcadibus;  cantare  peritos 
ArcadaSj  edixit  maximus  ore  Maro.^ 

Hue  properent,  libeat  sen  grand ia  facta  cothurno, 
Seu  canere  arguta  pascua,  rura,  chely. 

Pulchrior  oh  tandem  vigeat  divina  Poesis, 
Ad  decus  et  graiam  reddita  munditiem! 

Oh  tandem  ausonias  misere  devectus  ad  oras, 
Fallax,  barbaricus  dispereat  numerics ! 

Haec  HERACLEA  dictus  de  gente  Neander 

Nuncupat  Arcadibus  vota  suprema  senex. 

>)  cantabitis,  Arcades,  inquit, 

Montibus  haec  vestris,  soli  cantare  periti 
Arcades— 

(VIRG.  Ed.  X.  V.  31,  32). 

18G 


POEMS 


Let  not  the  foolish  mob  dispute  their  honors  high, 
Nor  green-eyed  Envy  raise  a  jealous  cry: 

Let  them  the  pinnacle  of  templing  heaven  see 
Blaze  with  the  glowing  Star  of  Arcady! 

O  may  it  evermore  in  grander  orbits  move — 
Pindus  illume,  and  every  hill  and  grove! 

Here  shall  the  Muses  rest;  here  with  perennial  dew 
Castalian  founts  the  fainting  earth  renew. 

Here  the  Arcadians  drink — Arcadians  sMllecl  in  song! 
Hither  did  IMaro  bid  the  adventurous  throng 

Who  would  with  swelling  port  majestic  themes  rehearse^ 
Or  tilth  and  meadow  sing  in  mellower  verse. 

0  Poesy  divine!  may  thy  delights  increase, 
Clad  in  the  fairest  draperies  of  Greece! 

May  the  barbaric  art  of  numbers,  to  the  shore 
Ausonian  brought,  be  banished  evermore! 

To  the  Arcadians,  Neander  (now  grown  old) 
These  last  and  dearest  wishes  doth  unfold! 


187 


CARMINA 


AD  GVILELMVM  MASSAIA ' 

CARDINALEM 

EX    LEGATIONE   AETHIOPICA 

REDVCEM 

V!>AELESTI  eloquio  Aethiopum  fera  pectora  frangis; 

Mox,  bonus  ut  pastor,  Christi  ad  ovile  trains. 

Quid,  lateant  tua  facta,  rogas  ?  ^  vulgare  labores 
Pro  sancta  exhaustos  relligione,  iuvat. 

Difficiles  pugnas,  magnolia  prodere  Christi, 
Vexilloque  crucis  parta  tropaea,  iuvat. 

Fare,  age;  gesta  libens  memori  concrede  papyro: 
Et  tua  late  hominum  fama  per  ora  volet, 

Excutiatque  alios,  mireque  incendat  eamdem 
Carpere  magnanimos,  te  praeeunte,  viam. 

^)G.  Massaia  CardJnalis  legatione  Apostolica  ad  Aetiopas  an.  xxxv  felic- 
iter  functus,  ne  rerum  gestarum  memoria  intercideret,  hortante  in  primis 
Leone  XIII  Pont.  Max.,  commentarios  conscripsit  et  evulgavit. 

")  Nesciri  cupidus,  diu  haesit  anceps  antequara  ad  scribendum  animum 
induceret. 


188 


POEMS 


TO  GUGLIELMO  CARD.  MASSAIA^ 

W  ITH  stafif  of  heavenly  truth  you  struck  their  hearts 
of  rock; 
Then,  a  good  Shepherd,  led  them  to  Christ's  flock. 

''My  hfe,   my  works,   be  hid!"^  your  modest  spirit 
pleads: 
Ah,  but  the  world  should  know  such  zealous  deeds, 

Such  combats  waged  with  hell,  such  wondrous  works  of 
God, 
And  the  Cross  planted  deep  in  Ethiop  sod. 

The  unforgetful  page  awaits  thy  bashful  pen: 
Come,  let  th}'  fame  be  sweet  to  lips  of  men, 

That  other  hands  may  reap  a  glorious  aftermath, 
And  follow  bravely  where  you  blazed  a  path. 

1)  Cardinal  Massaia,  at  the  special  request  of  Pope  Leo  XIII.,  wrote  and 
published,  on  his  return  to  Italy,  an  historical  summary-  of  his  Avork  during 
twenty-five  years  as  Legate  to  the  Abyssinians. 

«)  Wishing  to  remain  unknown,  he  hesitated  a  long  time  before  he  could 
be  induced  to  write  his  narrative. 


189 


CAEMINA 


AN.    MDCCCXCV 


VIRGINE  FAVENTE 

FIAT   VNVM    OVILE 

5A1USPICIUM  felix!  Orientis  personal  oras 
Vox  missa  e  caelo,  personal  occiduas: 

— Una  fides  Chrisli,  Pastor  regal  unus  Ovile, 
Dispersas  genles  colligal  unus  amor! — 

Virgo,  fave:  erranles  lu  lumine  mater  amico 
Respice,  el  Unigenae  iunge  benigna  luo. 


190 


POEMS 


THROUGH  THE  VIRGIN'S  HELP 

LET    THERE    BE    ONE    FOLD 
(1895) 

A  HAPPY  Sign!  In  Eastern  land  is  heard 
The  heaven-descended  word: 

^'  One  Faith  of  Christ,  one  Shepherd  be,  one  Fold 
One  Love  the  nations  hold!  " 

Mary,  with  friendly  light  the  wanderers  guide 
Unto  the  Saviour's  side! 


191 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCXCV 


SVB  EFFIGIE 


VIRGINIS   GVADALVPANAE 


APVD    MEXICANOS 


JVaEXICUS  heic  populus  mira  sub  imagine  gaudet 
Te  colere,  alma  Parens,  praesidioque  frui. 

Per  te  sic  vigeat  felix,  teque  auspice,  avitam 
Sic  teneat  Petri  firmior  usque  fidem! 


192 


POEMS 


THE  VIRGIN  OF  GUADALUPE^ 

(1895) 

1  HE  Mexic  people,  'neath  this  image  fair, 
Utters  its  heart  in  prayer. 

0  may  it  prosper,  and  the  Faith  of  old 
Yet  more  securely  hold! 

1)  Lines  written  under  her  picture. 


193 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCXCV 

IVLIVS  ADOLESCENS 

DEIPARAM 

MATREM  A  BONO  CONSILIO 

SVPPLEX   IMPLORAT 

ASSUEVI  a  puero  dulcem  te  dicere  matrem, 
Te  prece,  te  votis  sollicitare  piis. 

Mox  pubescent!  pietas  def erbuit  aevo : 
Mens  stupet  insanis  icta  cupidinibus. 

Ast  o,  tu  pueri  memor,  adsis,  Virgo:  vocaris 
Namque  boni  Mater  provida  Consilii. 


194 


POEMS 


THE  PRAYER  OF  JULIUS^ 

(1895) 

*'M0THER"  I  called  thee  from  my  childhood  hour, 
With  prayer  and  hymn  besought  thy  power. 


A  youth,  I  felt,  alas  !  the  olden  fires 
Cool  in  the  midst  of  rash  desires. 


But  thou  art  faithful:  help  thy  erring  child, 
Thou  "  Mother  of  Good  Counsel"  styled  I 

*)  To  the  Mother  of  God,  under  her  title  of  "  Mother  of  Good  Counsel. 


195 


CAMMI^A 


AN.  MDCCCXCVI 

OB  MEMORIAM  AVSPICATISSIMI  EVENTVS 

QVVM  FRANCORVM  NATIO 

PRAEEVNTE  CLODOVEO  REGE 

SE  CHRISTO  ADDIXIT 

ODE 

Vivat  Christus 
Qui  diligit  Francos. 

(jrENTIUM  custos  Deus  est.  Repente 
Sternit  insignes  humilesque  promit: 
Exitus  rerum  tenet,  atque  nutu 

Temperat  aequo. 

Teutonum  pressus  Clodoveus  armis, 
Ut  8U0S  vidit  trepidos  pericli, 
Fertur  has  voces  iterasse,  ad  astra 
Lumina  tendens: 

Dive,  quern  supplex  mea  saepe  coniux 
Nuncupat  lesum,  mihi  dexter  ad  sis 
Si  iuves  promptus  validusque,  totum 
Me  tibi  dedam. 

Illico  excussus  pavor:  acriores 
Excitat  virtus  animos;  resurgit 
Franeus  in  pugnam;  ruit,  et  cruentos 
Disiicit  hostes. 
396 


POEMS 


'' PRAISED  BE  CHRIST,  WHO  LOVES 
THE  FRANKS!"^ 

(1896) 

1  HERE  is  a  God  who  rules  the  earth,  and  rends 
The  lofty  mountain,  spares  the  lowly  hill : 
"  There's  a  Divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough  hew  them  how  we  will  ! ' ' 

Clovis,  they  say,  at  length  on  God  relies, 
Viewing  the  Teuton  hosts  with  anxious  brow; 
Then  lifteth  up  to  heaven  his  kingly  eyes, 
Breathing  a  solemn  vow: 

''  Help  me,  0  God,  to  whom  my  dearest  spouse 
So  oft  hath  offered  prayer  and  praise  divine; 
If  Thou  our  faltering  courage  wdlt  arouse, 
I  am  forever  Thine  ! ' ' 

And  lo!  a  sudden  courage  seizes  all 
The  Frankish  host;  fear  and  dismay  have  fled: 
With  ardor  new  upon  the  foe  they  fall, 
And  strew  the  earth  with  dead. 


>)  Written  for  the  fourteenth  centenary  of  the  baptism  of  Clovis,  to  com 
memorate  the  auspicious  event  when  the  whole  nation  of  the  Franks,  follow- 
ing his  example,  gave  itself  to  Christ. 

197 


CABMINA 


Victor  i,  voti  Clodovee  compos, 
Sub  iugo  Christi  caput  obligatum 
Pone;  te  Remis  manet  infulata 

Fronte  sacerdos. 

Ludor  ?  en  signis  positis  ad  aram 
Ipse  rex  sacris  renovatur  undis, 
Et  cohors  omnis  populusque  dio 
Tingitur  amne. 

Roma  ter  felix,  caput  o  renatae 
Stirpis  humanae,  tua  pande  regna: 
Namque  victrices  tibi  sponte  lauros 
Francia  defert. 

Te  colet  matrem;  tua  maior  esse 
Gestiet  natu:  potiore  vita 
Crescet,  ac  sum  mo  benefida  Petro 
Clara  feretur. 

Ut  mihi  longum  libet  intueri 
Agmen  heroum!  Domitor  ferocis 
Fulget  Astolfi,  pius  ille  sacri 

luris  amator, 

Remque  romanam  populantis  ultor: 
Bis  per  abruptas  metuendus  alpes 
Irruit,  summoque  Petro  volentes 
Asserit  urbes. 
198 


POEMS 


Clovis,  thy  prayer  is  heard.     Thy  favored  head 
Beneath  the  yoke  of  Christ  thou  needs  must  bow 
At  Rheims  awaits  thy  coming,  heaven-led, 
The  priest  with  mitred  brow. 

Dream  I  ?  for  lo !  each  banner,  spear  and  helm 
Cast  at  the  altar's  foot  where  lowly  kneel 
Clovis,  his  cohorts,  and  the  Frankish  realm, 
Baptismal  floods  to  feel ! 

Thrice-happy  Rome,  thine  the  inheritance 
Of  the  redeeming  grace  of  Christ  the  King: 
How  willingly  to  thy  dear  hands  doth  France 
Her  conquering  laurels  bring  ! 

Dear  mother  Rome,  how  gladly  France  declares 
Herself  thy  '^  first-born  " — (title  that  endears  !)— 
Placing  a  trustful  hand  in  thine  she  fares 

All-prosperous  through  the  years  ! 

How  I  rejoice  to  see  the  lengthening  line 
Of  Gallic  Heroes !  Him  that  gave  to  flight 
The  furious  Aistulf — how  his  glories  shine, 
Lover  of  sacred  right, 

Zealous  avenger  of  the  Roman  state, 
Twice  through  the  riven  Alps  a  fearless  way 
Threading,  to  place  the  rescued  cities'  fate 
'Neath  Peter's  gentle  sway! 
199 


CARMINA 


Laetus  admiror  Solymis  potitas 
Vindices  sancti  Tamuli  phalanges: 
Me  palaestinis  renovata  cam  pis 

Proelia  tangunt. 

0  novum  robur  Celebris  puellae 
Castra  perrumpens  inimical  turpem 
Galliae  cladem  repulit  loanna 

Numine  freta. 

0  quot  illustres  animae  nefanda 
Monstra  Calvini  domuere,  gentem 
Labe  tarn  dira  prohibere  fortes 

Sceptraque  regni! 

Quo  feror  ?  tempus  redit  auspicatum 
Prisca  quo  virtus  animis  calescat: 
Ecce,  remensis  ciet  atque  adurget 

Corda  triumphus. 

Gallicae  gentes,  iubaris  vetusti 
Ne  quid  obscuret  radios,  cavete; 
Neve  sufPundat  malesuadus  error 

Mentibus  umbras. 

Vos  regat  Christus,  sibi  quos  revinxit: 
Obsequi  sectis  pudeat  probrosis; 
Occidat  livor,  sociasque  in  unum 
Cogite  vires. 
200 


POEMS 


Gladly  anon  I  see  the  warlike  host 
Thronging  to  save  Christ's  Sepulchre  from  harm: 
Methinks  again  I  view  the  sacred  coast, 
And  hear  the  loud  alarm! 

And  her — the  saintly  Maid  whose  girlish  hand 
Hordes  of  a  vast  beleaguering  foe  withstood, 
Saving  from  sword  and  fire  her  fatherland. 
Strong  in  the  might  of  God! 

And  then  the  band  of  those  illustrious  ones 
Who  conquered  Calvin's  wild  extravagance, 
Strong  to  redeem  from  error's  grasp  the  sons 
And  sceptres  of  old  France! 

Yet  whither  am  I  borne  on  glowing  dreams  ? 
Again  may  we  the  ancient  glories  view : 
Behold  how  once  again  triumphal  Rheims 
Bids  us  rejoice  anew! 

Ye  Gallic  peoples,  gloriously  endowed, 
Let  naught  obscure  the  splendors  ye  have  known; 
Let  no  misleading  error  cast  a  cloud 
Over  your  fertile  zone. 

Be  Christ  your  guide,  who  to  Himself  hath  bound 
Your  souls:  to  follow  wicked  sects  be  shame; 
Let  discord  flee,  and  every  heart  be  found 
Loyal  to  one  grand  aim ! 
201 


CARMINA 


Saecla  bis  septem  calor  actuosae 
Perstitit  vitae,  renuens  perire: 
Currite  ad  Vesiam ;  ^  novus  aestuabit 
Pectore  fervor. 

Dissitis  floret  magis  usque  terris 
Gallicum  nonien :  populis  vel  ipsis 
Adsit  eois,  Fideique  sanctae 

Vota  secundet. 

Nil  Fide  Christi  prius:  hac  adempta 
Nil  diu  felix.     Stetit  unde  priscae 
Summa  laus  genti,  manet  inde  iugis 
Gloria  Gallos. 


* )  Flumen  alluens  Remos,  ubi  rei  christianae  apud  Francos  dedicata  sunt 
nitia. 


202 


POEMS 


Twice  seven  centuries  hath  faith  imbued 
Your  nerves  with  strength  secure  from  Satan's  arts: 
To  the  Vesle  ^  hasten,  and  let  faith  renewed 
Inflame  your  zealous  hearts. 

Unto  remotest  bounds  of  earth  may  France 
Be  known  and  honored :  in  the  Eastern  land 
May  she  forever  prosper,  and  advance 

What  hopes  her  heart  hath  planned! 

The  faith  of  Christ — be  that  her  highest  gain: 
Once  lost,  what  can  its  happy  days  recall  ? 
For  't  was  of  old,  and  ever  must  remain, 
The  glory  of  the  Gaul. 


i)Rheiins,  situated  on  the  Vesle  (a  tributary  of  the  Aisne),  became  the 
cradle  of  Christianitv  for  the  Franks. 


203 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCXCVn 

DEO  ET  VIRGINI  MATRI 

EXTREMA   LEONIS   VOTA 

EXTREMUM  radiat,  pallenti  involvitur  umbra 
lam  iam  sol  moriens;  nox  subit  atra,  Leo, 

Atra  tibi:  arescunt  venae,  nee  vividus  humor 
Perfluit;  exhausto  corpore  vita  perit. 

Mors  telum  fatale  iacit;  velamine  amicta 
Funereo,  gelidus  contegit  ossa  lapis. 

Ast  anima  aufugiens  excussis  libera  vinclis, 
Continuo  aetherias  ardet  anhela  plagas; 

Hue  celerat  cursum;  longarum  haec  meta  viarum; 
Expleat  oh  clemens  anxia  vota  Deus! 

Oh  caelum  attingam!  supremo  munere  detur 
Divino  aeternum  lumine  et  ore  frui. 

Teque,  o  Virgo,  frui;  matrem  te  parvulus  infans 
Dilexi,  flagrans  in  sene  crevit  amor. 

Excipe  me  caelo;  caeli  de  civibus  unus, 
Auspice  te,  dicam,  praemia  tanta  tuli. 


204 


POEMS 


VERSIONE 

IJ  EL  sol  cadente  e  che  si  asconde  omai 
Splendon,  Leon,  su  te  gli  ultimi  rai: 

Nelle  riarse  vene  inaridita, 

Lenta  lenta  si  spegne  omai  la  vita. 

Vibra  Morte  lo  stral;  le  fredde  spoglie 

Chiuse  in  funereo  vel  la  tomba  accoglie; 

Ma  fuor  di  sua  prigion  lo  spirto  anelo 
Ratto  dispiega  il  vol,  ricerca  il  cielo. 

D'aspro  lungo  cammin  questa  la  meta: 

Deh,  Signor  mio,  la  santa  voglia  acqueta; 

E  se  di  tanto,  tiia  merce,  fia  degno, 
Lo  spirto  accogli  nel  beato  regno! 

Tu  pur,  Maria,  m'  accogli;  mio  conforto 
Tu  fosti,  e  guida  al  desiato  porto. 

In  ciel  mi  svela  tua  belta  divina, 

Vergine  Madre,  alma  del  ciel  Regina. 


205 


GARMINA 


DEO  ET  VIRGINI 

INSTANTE   MORTE 
VOTA 

EXTREMUM  radiat,  pallenti  involvitur  umbra 
lam  iam  sol  moriens;  nox  subit  atra,  Leo, 

Atra  tibi :  arescunt  venae,  nee  vividus  humor 
Perfluit;  exhausto  corpore  vita  perit. 

Mors  telum  fatale  iacit;  velamine  amicta 
Funereo,  gelidus  contegit  ossa  lapis. 

Ast  anima  aufugiens  excussis  libera  vinclis, 
Continuo  aetherias  ardet  anhela  plagas; 

Hue  celerat  cursum;  longarum  haec  meta  viarum; 
Expleat  oh  clemens  anxia  vota  Deus! 

Oh  caelum  attingam!  supremo  munere  detur 
Divino  aeternum  lumine  et  ore  frui. 

Teque,  Maria,  fruar,  mundi  Regina,  per  hostes 
Infensos  trepido  quae  benefida  viam 

Pandisti  ad  patriam.     Caeli  de  civibus  unus, 
To  duce,  iam  dicam,  praemia  tanta  tuli. 


206 


POEMS 


DEATH 

(1897) 

1  HE  westering  sun  draws  near  his  cloudy  bed, 
Leo,  and  gradual  darkness  veils  thy  head : 

The  sluggish  life-blood  in  thy  withered  veins 
More  slowly  runs  its  course — what  then  remains  ? 

Lo!  Death  is  brandishing  his  fatal  dart, 

And  the  grave  yearns  to  shroud  thy  mortal  part: 

But  from  its  prison  freed,  the  soul  expands 
Exulting  pinions  to  the  enfranchised  lands. 

My  weary  race  is  run — I  touch  the  goal: 
Hear,  Lord,  the  feeble  pan  tings  of  my  soul; 

If  it  be  worthy,  Lord,  thy  pitying  breast 
Welcome  it  unto  everlasting  rest! 

May  I  behold  thee,  Queen  of  earth  and  sky, 
Whose  love  enchained  the  demons  lurking  nigh 

The  path  to  heaven;  and  freely  shall  I  own 

'  T  was  thy  sweet  care  that  gained  my  blissful  crown ! 


207 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCXCVn 


IVLIO  STERBINIO 


FAMILIARI 

lULI,  munus  habe,  Cor  Iesv  :  ^  manat  abunde 
Inde,  viderij  iugis  vena  salubris  aquae. 

Hunc  alacer  propera  ad  f  on  tern,  hoc  te  merge  lavacro; 
Continuo  labes  eluit  unda  tuas. 

Emergis  nive  candidior;  defigere  caelo 
Lumina  iamque  acie  vividiore  vales. 

Magna  aude:  discas  mortalia  spernere,  discas 
Calcare  intrepido  cuncta  caduca  pede. 


')Hunc  eiusque  familiam  die  xv  Septembris  an.  mdcccxcvi  Leo  XIII 
augusto  Iesv  Cordi  pie  dedicat.  Rei  testimonium  vult  esse  depictam  eius- 
dem  divini  Cordis  tabulam,  quam  dono  ei  dat,  simulque  banc  poeticam  hor- 
tationem,  et  subsequentem  filiis  inscriptam. 

208 


POEMS 


TO    MY  FRIEND 

JULIUS  STERBINI 

(1897) 

Julius,  as  gift  to  thee,  I  send 
The  Saviour's  heart, ^  whence  flow 

Life-giving  streams  that  have  no  end, 
To  heal  our  every  woe. 

0  haste  thee  to  that  fountain  clear; 

Accept  that  healing  bath: 
In  whiter  raiment  thou' It  appear 

Than  e'en  the  snowflake  hath! 

Thou  comest  forth;  lo!  cleansed  of  sin, 
Now  canst  thou  fix  thine  eyes, 

With  steadier  gaze  than  erst  had  been, 
Upon  the  expectant  skies. 

0  greatly  dare!  securely  learn 

How  fearlessly  thy  feet 
Should  earth's  decaying  splendor  spurn 

To  gain  the  heavenly  seat. 

1)  On  the  15th  of  September,  1896,  Leo  XIII  affectionately  consecrated 
Julius  Sterbini  and  his  family  to  the  august  Heart  of  Jesus ;  in  testimony 
whereof  he  presented  them  with  a  picture  of  the  Divine  Heart,  and  accom- 
panied it  with  this  and  the  following  poem, 

209 


CARMINA 


Sit  pudor  indigno  flagrare  cupidine;  saecli 
Sitque  capi  illecebris  deliciisque  pudor. 


Unum  Cor  Iesv  o  sapias,  luli!  unaque  lesus 
Sit  tibi  non  mendax  gloria  et  unus  amor: 


Invictum  robur  dubia  in  certamina  vitae, 

Fulgida  lux  signans  tutum  iter  ad  patriam! 


210 


POEMS 


Shame  lurks  in  every  earthly  lust; 

Fear  then  each  foul  desire: 
Tread  wanton  pleasure  in  the  dust 

And  quench'  the  smouldering  fire. 

Christ's  HEART  alone  thy  wisdom  be, 
Thy  strength,  thy  glory  blest, 

Thy  Love,  that  ceaseless  as  the  sea 
Beats  in  thy  flaming  breast: 

A  tower  of  strength  that  shall  thy  foes 
And  all  their  darts  withstand; 

A  light  that  safe  the  pathway  shows 
Unto  the  Fatherland  ! 


211 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCXCVir 

(idem) 
IVLII  STERBINI 

FILIIS 
lOSEPHO  ALPHONSO  NICOLAO 

ImPERAT  ipse  Deus  Iesvm  redamemus  amantem  : 
Eia  agite,  o  pueri,  ad  lesum  properate  volentes; 
Hue  mens,  hue  animus;  mortalia  quaeque  perosi 
Hoc  unum  eniti  primis  assuescite  ab  annis, 
Ardeat  ut  vestris  divinus  cordibus  ignis. 
Exemplo  en  vobis  mater  praelucet,  lulus 
En  genitor;  calcare  iuvat  vestigia  sancta. 
Nil  sit  dulce  magis  quam  Corde  quiescere  Iesv 
Divinoque  sinu  cupide  magis  usque  recondi ! 
Hie  fons  ad  vitam  saliens;  hinc  larga  bonorum 
Copia,  rebusque  in  trepidis  caeleste  levamen; 
Hostibus  in  pugna  domitis  partoque  triumpho, 
Hie  tranquilla  quies,  praesens  tutissima  in  aevum, 
Aeternae  vobis  felix  praenuncia  pacis. 


212 


POEMS 


A  SONNET  ON  LOVE 


FOR   THE 


SACRED  HEART 


(1897) 


(jrOD  bids  us  love  His  ever-loving  Son: 

Hasten,  0  children,  to  the  Saviour's  side; 

There  only  may  your  hearts  and  minds  abide; 
Through  all  the  years  to  come,  be  this  your  one 
Perpetual  work,  in  tenderest  youth  begun — 

To  nourish  love  for  Jesus  Crucified  ! 

Father  and  mother  shall  your  footsteps  guide. 
And  teach  how  sweetly  God's  sweet  will  is  done. 
Ah,  what  more  blessed  refuge  in  the  strife 

May  wearied  spirits  find,  than  Jesus'  heart  ? 
That  Fountain  springing  up  to  endless  Life, 

And  scattering  dewy  balsam  on  each  smart; 
That  Pledge  of  peace,  where  stormy  war  is  rife. 

Making  the  very  earth  heaven's  counterpart ! 


213 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCXCVII 

OB  NVPTIAS 

ALPHONSI   STERBINI   ET   IVLIAE   PIZZIRANI 

V50NC0RDI  flagrant  Alphonsus  lulia  amore, 
Incenso  a  pueris:  unde  amor  iste?  rogas. 

Scilicet  et  simile  ingenium,  parilisque  voluntas; 
Amborum  inde  ardens  pectora  cepit  amor. 

Relligio  et  pietas  aluere  probataque  virtus, 
Ingenuusque  animi  candor  et  alma  fides. 

Vota  ambo  ingeminant;  affulget  sidus  amicum, 
E  Pompeiana  Virgine  adauctus  amor.^ 

Quid  iam  plura  petis  ?  lectos,  dignosque  iugali 

Foedere  sanctus  amor  quos  bene  iungat,  habes. 


^)  Deiparam  Virginein  Pompeianam  imploraverant  nuptiis  felioitcr  iii- 
eundis. 


214 


POEMS 


EPITHALAMIUM  ^ 

(1897) 

I  WO  hearts — twin  altars — claim 
A  single  love-lit  flame: 
You  ask  me  whence  it  came? 

Kindred  in  heart  and  soul — 
Love  silent  on  them  stole 
And  gained  complete  control! 

Sweeter  its  victory, 
When  virtue's  laws  decree 
Inviolate  loyalty! 

At  Mary's  shrine  they  bow, 
A  mutual  troth  to  vow 
In  love  made  holier  now. 

What  more  ?  I  end  my  lay, 
Heaven's  choicest  gifts  to  pray 
On  this,  their  wedding  day! 

')  On  the  nuptials  of  Alphonsus  Sterbini  and  Julia  Pizzirani. 


215 


CARMINA 


AN.    MDCCCXCVII 

TENVI  VICTV  CONTENTVS  INGLVVIEM 
FVGE 

AD   FABRICIVM   RVFVM 
EPISTOIiA 

tlUO  victu  immunem  morbis,  et  robore  vitam 
Ducere  florentem  possis,  sermone  diserto 
Sedulus  Hippocratis  cultor  rigidusque  satelles 
Haec  nuper  praecepta  bonus  tradebat  Ofellus; 
Multa  et  de  tristi  ingluvie  gravis  ore  locutus. 

Munditiae  imprimis  studeas;  sine  divite  cultu 
Mensa  tibi,  nitidae  lances  et  Candida  mappa. — 
Apponi  in  mensa  iubeas  purissima  vina; 
Et  vacuus  curis,  grato  praecordia  potu 
Demulce  et  recrea,  convivas  inter  amicos. 
Sobrius  at  caveas,  nimium  ne  crede  lyaeo, 
Neu  crebra  pigeat  calices  perfundere  lympha. — 
Candida  lympha !   datum  vix  quidquam  hoc  munere 

mains, 
Vix  quidquam  varios  vitae  magis  utile  in  usus. — 
E  munda  cerere  atque  excoctos  delige  panes. — 
Quas  gallina  dapes  aut  bos  agnusve  pararint 
Sume  libens;  toto  nam  firmant  corpore  vires; 
At  mollire  prius  carnes,  et  fercula  cures 
216 


POEMS 


ON  FRUGALITY  AND  LONG  LIFE 

EPISTLE   TO   FABRICIUS   RUFUS 

(1897) 

1  HAT   meat  and  drink  might   health  and   strength 
confer, 
And  happy  life,  Ofellus,  follower 
And  careful  student  of  Hippocrates, 
Was  wont  to  frame  such  thoughtful  rules  as  these — 
(Pointing  the  moral  with  men's  gluttonies) : 

Seek  neatness  first:  although  thy  board  be  spare, 
Be  every  dish  and  napkin  bright  and  fair; 
And  be  thy  vintage  purest  of  the  pure, 
To  warm  the  heart  and  prove  a  pleasant  lure 
That  shall  both  friends  and  wholesome  mirth  ensure. 
Be  frugal  here,  however;  nor  decline 
To  put  a  frequent  water  to  your  wine. 
0  crystal  drops  that  heaven  from  ocean  lifts 
To  shower  on  earth  the  best  of  nature's  gifts! 
Select  for  home-made  bread  the  choicest  wheat, 
And  have  in  plenty  all  the  goodly  meat 
Of  fowl,  and  lamb,  and  ox  (but  first  be  sure 
They're  tender!)  ;  nor  with  plenteous  garniture 
217 


CARMINA 


Ne  siser  inficiat,  ne  faecula  coa  vel  alec. — 
Nunc  age;  provideas  tereti  defusa  catino, 
Ne  desit  mensae  spumantis  copia  lactis. 
Nil  vitale  magis,  nil  lacte  salubrius;  infans 
Qui  lac  suxisti,  senior  bene  lacte  valebis.  — 
Degustanda  simul  profer  dulcissima  mella; 
Attamen  hyblaeo  parens  de  nectare  liba. — 
Turn  laudata  tibi  sint  ova  recentia,  succum 
Leni  igne  aut  libeat  modicis  siccare  patellis, 
Sugere  seu  mollem  pleno  sit  gratius  ore; 
Utcumque  absumas  erit  utilis  esca  saluti. — 
Culta  suburbano,  riguoque  virentia  in  horto 
Adde  olera  et  pubens  decusso  fiore  legumen. 
Adde  novos  quos  laeta  refert  tibi  vinea  fructus, 
Dulces  panopinea  decerptos  vite  racemos, 
Pruna  admixta  pyris,  imprimis  mitia  poma, 
Quae  pulcre  in  cistis  mensam  rubicunda  coronent. 
Postremo  e  tostis  succedat  potio  baccis, 
Quas  tibi  Moka  ferax  e  littore  mittit  eoo: 
Nigrantem  laticem  sensim  summisque  labellis 
Sorbilla;  dulcis  stomachum  bene  molliet  haustus. 
De  tenui  victu  haec  teneas,  bis  utere  tutus, 
Ad  seram  ut  valeas  sanus  vegetusque  senectam. 

At  contra  (baec  sapiens  argute  addebat  Ofellus) 
Nectere  nata  dolos,  homines  et  perdere  nata 
Vitanda  Ingluvies,  crudelis  et  improba  siren. 

Principio  haec  ilH  sollers  et  sedula  cura, 
Instruere  ornatu  mensas  cultuque  decoras. 
218 


POEMS  ^ 


Of  spice  and  pickle  play  the  epicure! 

Next,  have  the  beakers  foaming  to  the  brim 

With  milk  no  thrifty  maid  hath  dared  to  skim: 

Xo  draught  than  this  more  wholesome  shall  assuage 

The  thirst  of  childhood  or  declining  age. 

Let  golden  honey  be  thy  daintier  fare; 

Of  Hybla's  nectar  take  a  scantier  share. 

Be  thy  fresh  eggs  the  talk  of  all  the  town — 

Hard-boiled  or  soft,  or  fried  to  savory  brown, 

Or  poached,  or  dropped,  or  sipped  raw  from  the  shell, 

Or  done  in  ways  too  numerous  to  tell. 

Add  herbs  and  salads  to  the  feast — whatso 

May  in  suburban  gardens  freely  grow. 

Bring  forth  the  clustered  fruitage  of  the  vine, 

Plucked  where  the  clambering  tendrils  intertwine. 

Have  plums  and  pears — the  bursting  panniers  crown 

With  red-cheeked  apples  laughing  gaily  down. 

And,  last,  delicious  fragrance  of  the  East! 

With  cups  of  steaming  Mocha  close  the  feast; 

But  taste  the  amber  Avith  a  lingering  lip — 

No  hasty  draught! — 't  was  made  for  gods  to  sip! 

Now  if  you  diet  thus,  why,  I'll  engage, 

You've  found  the  secret  of  a  green  old  age. 

But  Gluttony,  Ofellus  argues  well. 

Can  quickly  lay  her  snare,  and  cast  her  spell. 
And  lead  to  shipwreck  like  the  siren  shell. 

This  only  is  her  dream:  The  festive  board 

Must  groan  with  all  that  wealth  and  art  afford. 
219 


CARMINA 


Explicat  ipsa,  viden',  tonsis  mantelia  villis; 
Grandia  disponit  longo  ordine  pocula,  lances, 
Caelatas  auro  pateras,  argentea  vasa; 
Mensa  thymo  atque  apio  redolet  florumque  corollis. 
His  laute  instructis,  simulata  voce  locuta 
Convivas  trahit  incautos;  succedere  tecto, 
Et  lectis  blanda  invitat  discumbere  eburnis; 
Continuoque  reposta  cadis  lectissima  vina 
Caecuba  depromit,  coumque  vetusque  falernum; 
Quin  exquisita  stillatos  arte  liquores 
E  musto  et  pomis,  ultro  potantibus  offert. 
Convivae  humectant  certatim  guttura,  et  una 
Succosas  avido  degustant  ore  placentas. 
Ecce  autem  lucanus  aper,  perfusns  abunde 
Mordaci  pipere  atque  oleo,  profertur  edendus, 
Et  leporum  pingues  armi,  et  iecur  anseris  albi, 
Assique  in  verubus  turdi,  niveique  columbi. 
Carnibus  admixti  pisces;  cum  murice  rhombi, 
Ostrea,  et  educti  Miseno  e  gurgite  echini. 
Hos  super,  immanis  patina  porrecta  nitenti, 
Apparet  squillas  inter  muraena  natantes. — 
Attonitis  inhiant  oculis;  saturantur  opime; 
Cuncta  vorant  usque  ad  fastidia;  iamque  lyaeo 
Infiati  venas  nimio,  dapibusque  gravati 
Surgunt  convivae,  temere  bacchantur  in  aula, 
Insana  et  pugiles  inter  se  iurgia  miscent, 
Defessi  donee  lymphata  mente  quiescunt. 
Laeta  dolum  ingluvies  ridet,  iam  facta  suorum 
220 


POEMS 


She  spreads  her  costly  napkins,  meant  for  show, 
'Twixt  plates  and  glasses  in  a  gleaming  row: 
Silver  and  gold  the  hooded  lights  illume, 
While  the  air  reeks  with  Araby's  perfume. 
Her  table  set,  with  hospitable  air 
She  draws  the  thoughtless  to  her  hidden  snare; 
On  ivory  couches  bids  their  limbs  recline, 
And  taps  forthwith  her  cask  of  choicest  wine 
Sleeping  old  summers  in  the  Falernian  vine; 
Cordials  she  offers  next,  and  fine  liqueurs 
By  patent  arts  distilled  (for  all  are  hers!)  : 
The  guests  drink  eagerly  with  envious  haste, 
And  gorge  themselves  with  cake  and  juicy  paste. 
Then  grosser  dishes:  a  Lucanian  boar 
With  oil,  and  spice,  and  pepper  covered  o'er; 
Liver  of  duck,  and  leg  of  fatling  hare. 
Plover  and  squab,  and  all  such  gourmet-fare. 
And  what's  not  flesh  is  fish:  turbots  and  clams. 
Oysters,  and  what-not,  caught  in  streams  and  dams. 
A  hugh  murena  fills  the  shining  dish, 
And  swims  amidst  a  shoal  of  smaller  fish. 
The  guests  look  on  with  hungry  eyes:  in  fine, 
With  stomachs  gorged,  and  veins  afire  with  wine, 
They  rise  to  dance,  where  they  have  come  to  dine: 
They  rise  to  dance — each  crazy  bacchanal, 
Bandying  threats  and  blows,  around  the  hall 
Stumbles,  till  drunken  stupors  silence  all. 
But  Gluttony  looks  on  the  rout,  and  smiles 
221 


CARMIXA 


Compos  votorum,  et  gaudet,  memor  artis  iniquae, 
Ceu  nautas  tumida  pereuntes  aequoris  unda, 
Mergere  convivas  miseros  sub  gurgite  tanto. 
Nam  subito  exsudant  praecordia,  et  excita  bills 
E  iecore  in  stomachum  larga  affluit,  ilia  torquet, 
Immanemque  ciet  commoto  ventre  tumultum; 
Membra  labant  incerta,  stupent  pallentia  et  ora. 
Corpore  sic  misere  exhansto  fractoque,  quid  ultra 
Audeat  ingluvies  ?  Ipsum,  proh  dedecus!  ipsum 
Figere  humo,  ac  (tantum  si  fas)  extinguere  malit 
Immortalem  animum,  divinae  particulam  aurae. 


222 


POEMS 


To  see  the  outcome  of  her  patient  wiles: 

How  Circe's  guests  have  sunk  to  shameful  sleep. 

As  sailors  perish  in  the  yawning  deep; 

And  how  anon  the  tortured  hver  wakes 

To  sudden  protest;  how  the  stomach  aches, 

While  steaming  sweat  bedews  the  trembling  limbs, 

And  a  thick  mist  the  bloodshot  vision  dims. 

With  the  wrecked  body  brought  to  such  a  pass, 

Shall  Gluttony  essay  beyond?     Alas! 

Her  arts  would  seek  to  bury  in  the  sod 

Even  the  soul — spark  of  the  breath  of  God! 


CARMINA 


AN.  CHRISTI  MDCCCC 
PRIDIE   KALENDAS   lANVARIAS 

A  lESV  CHRISTO 

INEVNTIS   SAECVLI   AVSPICIA 

v'ULTRIX  bonarum  nobilis  artium 
Decedit  aetas;  publica  commoda, 
Viresque  naturae  retectas, 

Quisquis  avet,  memoret  canendo. 

Saecli  occidentis  me  vehementius 
Admissa  tangunt;  haec  doleo  et  fremo. 
Proh!  quot,  retro rsum  conspicatus, 
Dedecorum  monumenta  cerno. 

Querarne  caedes,  sceptraque  diruta, 
An  pervagantis  monstra  licentiae  ? 
An  dirum  in  arcem  Vaticanam 
Mille  dolis  initum  duellum. 

Quo  cessit  Urbis,  principis  urbium, 
Nullo  impeditum  servitio  decus  ? 
Quam  saecla,  quam  gentes  avitae 
Pontificum  coluere  sedem. 
224 


POEMS 


THE  OPENING  CENTURY 

LINES   WEITTEN   ON   NEW   YEAR's   EVE 
(1900) 

A  NOBLE  nurse  of  all  the  arts, 

The  Age  departs: 
Let  who  will  sing  the  truths  it  taught, 

The  marvels  wrought: 

Me  rather  shall  its  sinful  years 

But  move  to  tears. 
As  in  a  backward  glance  I  see 

Its  infamy. 

Shall  blood  of  men  be  my  lament, 

Or  sceptres  rent, 
Or  Vatican's  dear  citadel 
Besieged  of  hell  ? 

The  glory,  Rome,  that  crowned  thy  brow, 

Where  is  it  now  ? 
Of  old,  all  nations  loved  in  thee 
Thy  Pontiff's  See. 
225 


GARMINA 


Vae  segregatis  Numine  legibus! 
Quae  lex  hones ti,  quae  superest  fides  ? 
Nutant,  semel  submota  ab  aris, 
Atque  ruunt  labefacta  iura. 

Auditis  ?  effert  impia  conscius 
Insanientis  grex  sapientiae; 
Brutaeque  naturae  supremum 
Nititur  asseruisse  numen. 

Nostrae  supremam  gentis  originem 
Fastidit  excors;  dissociabilem, 
Umbras  inanes  mente  captans, 

Stirpem  hominum  pecudumque  miscet. 

Heu  quam  probroso  gurgite  volvitur 
Vis  impotentis  caeca  superbiae, 
Servate,  mortales,  in  omne 
lussa  Dei  metuenda  tempus. 

Qui  vita  solus,  certaque  Veritas, 
Qui  recta  et  una  est  ad  Superos  via^ 
Is  reddere  ad  votum  fluentes 
Terrigenis  valet  unus  annos. 

Nuper  sacratos  ad  cineres  Petri 
Turbas  piorum  sancta  petentium 
Is  ipse  duxit;  non  inane 
Auspicium  pietas  renascens. 
226 


POEMS 


0  godless  laws,  count  up  your  gains  : 

What  truth  remains  ? 
A  shrineless  Justice,  lo!  it  stands 

On  shifting  sands. 

Hark  ye  the  new  hierophant 

Of  Science,  chant 
His  song  to  Nature's  soulless  clod 

As  to  a  god  ! 

And  yet  Man's  birthright  from  on  high 

He  will  deny, 
And  search  to  find  a  single  root 

For  Man  and  Brute. 

0  to  what  hideous  depth  is  hurled 
The  proud,  proud  world  ! 

Kneel,  then,  O  mortal  man,  to  God, 
And  kiss  His  rod. 

Him  only,  Truth,  and  Life,  and  Way, 

Learn  to  obey, 
Who  only,  through  the  fleeting  years. 

Can  dry  thy  tears. 

The  pilgrim  hosts  to  Peter's  shrine 

His  Hand  divine 
But  now  hath  led — a  portent  viewed 

Of  Faith  renewed. 

227 


CARMINA 


lesv,  futuri  temporis  arbiter, 
Surgentis  aevi  cursibus  annue: 
Virtute  divina  rebelles 
Coge  sequi  meliora  gentes. 

Tu  pacis  almae  semina  provehe; 
Irae,  tumultus,  bellaqua  tristia 
Tandem  residant:  improborum 
In  tenebrosa  age  regna  fraudes. 

Mens  una  reges,  te  duce,  temperet, 
Tuis  ut  instent  legibus  obsequi: 
Sitque  unum  Ovile  et  Pastor  unus, 
Una  Fides  moderetur  orbem. 

Cursum  peregi,  lustraque  bis  novem, 
Te  dante,  vixi.     Tu  cumulum  adiice; 
Fac,  quaeso,  ne  incassum  precantis 
Vota  tui  recidant  Leon  is. 


228 


POEMS 


Jesus,  Who  on  Thy  throne  sublime 

Shalt  judge  all  time, 
Make  the  rebellious  will  obey 

Thy  sovereign  sway: 

Scatter  the  seeds  of  gentle  peace 

Till  war  shall  cease; 
And  to  their  native  hell  exile 

Tumult  and  guile: 

One  dream  let  hearts  of  kings  pursue — 

Thy  Will  to  do; 
One  Shepherd  let  the  earth  behold, 

One  Faith,  one  Fold. 

Long  ninety  years  my  course  is  run — 

Thy  Will  be  done: 
My  prayers  the  crowning  grace  to  gain, 

Be  not  in  vain! 


229 


CARMINA 


AN.  MDCCCCI 

IN  PRAELVDIO  NATALIS  lESV  CHRISTI 
DOMINI  NOSTRI 

sAnNUA  nascentis  Iesu  sollemnia  iamiam 
Exoriens  revehit  rite  colenda  dies. 

At  non  laetitiae  praelucet  Candida  ut  olim 
Nuncia,  nee  pacis  munera  grata  refert. 

Humanae  heu!  genti  turba  undique  dira  malorum 
Instat  flebiliter,  flebiliora  parat. 

Numinis  en  oblita,  indigne  oblita  parentum, 
Succrescens  aetas  excutit  omne  iugum. 

Scindit  in  adversas  cives  discordia  partes, 
Ardetque  immitis  facta  cruenta,  neces. 

lura  verenda  iacent;  cessere  fidesque  pudorque; 
Omne  impune  audet  caeca  cupido  nefas: — 

-«> 

Adsis,  sancte  Puer,  saeclo  succurre  ruenti: 
Ne  pereat  misere,  Tu  Deus  una  salus. 
230 


POEMS 


THE  EVE  OF  CHEISTMAS 

(1901) 

GOMETH  the  yearly  Feast,  the  wondrous  Holy  Night, 
Worthy  of  sacred  hymn  and  solemn  rite. 

No  harbingers  of  joy  the  olden  message  sing, 
Nor  gifts  of  Peace  to  waiting  mortals  bring. 

Alone  the  thronging  hosts  of  evil  men  I  hear, 
And  see  the  anxious  brow  and  falling  tear. 

The  Age  will  bear  no  yoke;  forgets  the  God  above, 
Nor  duteous  payment  yields  to  parents'  love. 

Suspicious  Discord  rends  the  peaceful  State  in  twain, 
And  busy  Murder  follows  in  her  train. 

Gone  are  the  loyal  faith,  the  rights  revered  of  old — 
Reigns  but  a  blind  and  cruel  lust  of  Gold! 

0  come.  Thou  holy  Child!     Pity  the  fallen  world, 
Lest  it  should  perish,  into  darkness  hurled. 
231 


CABMINA 


Auspice  te,  terris  florescat  mitior  aetas, 
Emersa  e  tantis  Integra  fiagitiis. 

Per  te  felici  collustret  lumine  mentes 
Divinae  priscus  Relligionis  honos. 

Ardescant  per  te  Fidei  certamina;  per  te 
Victrices  palmae,  fracta  inimica  cohors; 

Disiectae  errorum  nubes,  iraeque  minaces 
Restinctae,  populis  reddita  arnica  quies. 

Sic  optata  diu  terras  pax  alma  revisat, 
Pectora  fraterno  foedere  iungat  amor. 


POEMS 


Out  of  the  laboring  Night  grant  it  a  newer  birth, 
And  a  New  Age  to  bloom  o'  er  all  the  earth. 

Circle  with  splendors  old  the  brow  of  Faith  divine; 
Let  her  full  glory  on  the  nations  shine. 

Nerve  her  to  battlings  new;  palsy  her  foes  with  dread; 
Place  the  victorious  laurel  on  her  head. 

Be  Error's  mist  dissolved,  and  ancient  feuds  repressed, 
Till  Earth  at  last  find  quietude  and  rest. 

O  gentle  Peace,  return,  nor  evermore  depart; 

And  link  us  hand  in  hand  and  heart  to  heart! 


23S 


CABMINA 


AN.  MBCCCCI 

IN  PRAELVDIO  NATALIS  lESV  CHRISTI 
DOMINI  NOSTEI 

Annua  nascentls  Iesu  soUemnia  iamiam 
Exoriens  revehit  rite  colenda  dies. 

At  non  laetitiae  praelucet  Candida  ut  olim 
Nuncia,  nee  pacis  munera  grata  refert. 

Humanae  heu!  genti  turba  undique  dira  malorum 
Instat  flebiliter,  flebiliora  parat. 

Numinis  en  oblita,  indigne  oblita  parentum, 
Succrescens  aetas  excutit  omne  iugum. 

Scindit  in  adversas  cives  discordia  partes, 
Ardetque  immitis  facta  cri^enta,  neces. 

lura  verenda  iacent;  cessere  fidesque  pudorque; 
Omne  impune  audet  caeca  cupido  nefas: — 


234 


POEMS 


[Free  Translation) 

A  CHRISTMAS  EVE  REVERY 

(1901) 
W ITH  solemn  rite  and  sacred  mirth 

Greet  ye  the  ever-blessed  morn, 
When  to  the  long-expectant  earth 

A  Child  was  born: 

But  ah !  not  now,  with  splendor  swift. 

The  darkling  heaven  shall  glow  again; 

Nor  Angel-heralds  bring  the  gift 
Of  peace  to  men! 

Alone  the  hosts  of  hellish  wrath 

Reaping  its  children,  earth  may  hear; 

Alone  the  garnered  aftermath 
Of  groan  and  tear. 

God's  law  the  growing  Age  hath  broke, 
On  parents'  tender  love  hath  trod: 

The  world  can  bear  no  more  the  yoke 
Of  man  or  God! 

Foul  Discord  rends  the  State  in  twain; 

Old  Friendship  scowls  in  hostile  bands; 
Red  Slaughter  wields  her  sword  amain 

With  dripping  hands. 

Rights  venerable  from  of  old 

Dragged  in  the  dust;  Truth  overthrown; 
Honor  forgot — blind  lust  of  Gold 

Reigneth  alone. 

235 


CARMINA 


Adsis,  sancte  Puer,  saeclo  succurre  ruenti: 
Ne  pereat  misere,  Tu  Deus  una  salus. 

Auspice  te,  terris  fiorescat  mitior  aetas, 
Emersa  e  tantis  Integra  flagitiis. 

Per  te  felici  coUustret  lumine  mentes 
Divinae  priscus  Relligionis  honos. 

Ardescant  per  te  Fidei  certamina;  per  te 
Victrices  palmae,  fracta  inimica  cohors; 

Disiectae  errorum  nubes,  iraeque  minaces 
Restinctae,  populis  reddita  arnica  quies. 

Sic  optata  diu  terras  pax  alma  revisat, 
Pectora  fraterno  foedere  iungat  amor. 


236 


POEMS 


Come,  come,  Thou  heaven-descended  Child! 

Old  earth  is  hastening  to  its  fall: 
Save  it,  and  still  the  tumult  wild, 

Saviour  of  all ! 

Listen  auspicious  to  my  prayer: 

Scatter  the  arid  wastes  with  dew, 

Until  they  bloom  with  fruitage  fair, 
And  harvests  new. 

Through  Thee  may  olden  godliness 

Brightly  illume  the  darkened  mind, 

And  tongues  instruct  to  curse,  but  bless 
The  Truth  divined. 

Through  Thee  may  Faith  new  laurels  win, 
New  battles  wage,  new  victory  speak; 

Through  Thee,  the  scattered  hosts  of  sin 
Hell-covert  seek! 

Dissolved  be  Error's  misty  dream, 

And  ancient  hatreds  melt  in  mirth. 

And  friendly  Quiet  reign  supreme 
Through  all  the  earth. 

0  long-desired  of  every  land. 

Come,  Peace,  and  nevermore  depart: 
Come,  Love,  and  join  us  hand  to  hand, 

And  heart  to  heart! 


237 


INSCRIPTIONES 


INSCRIPTIONS 


INSCRIPTIONES 


AHNO   MDCCCXXIV' 


X 


a 


ANNA.  ALEX.  F.  PROSPERIA 

EGENORVM  .  ALTRIX  .  FILIORVM  .  AMANTISSIMJL 

DOMO  .  CORA 

FEMINA  .  VETERIS  .  SANCTITATIS 

FRVGI  .  MVNIFICA 

H.   S.   E. 

QVAE    .   OMNI    .   MATRIS    .   FAMILIAS    .   MVNERE 

NITIDE  .  ET  .  IN  .  EXEMPLVM  .  PERFVNCTA 

DECESSIT  .  CUM  .  LVCTV  .  BONORVM 

NGN  .  AVG  .  ANNO  .  MDCCCXXIV 

VIX  .  DVLCISS  .  CVM  .  SVIS  .  ANN  .  LI  .  M.   VII  .  D.   XI 

LVDOVICVS .  PECCIVS  .  CONIVX  .  CVM  .  LIBERIS .  MOERENTIBVfl 

MVLIERI  .  RARISSIMAE  .  INCOMPARABILI 

M.   P. 

AVE  .  ANIMA  .  CANDIDISSIMA 

TE  .  IN  .  PACE 

*)  In  obitu  matxis  carissimae.    Extat  monumentum  Romae  ad  sacromm 
Prancificl  Assisiensifi  Stigmutxim. 

240 


INSCRIPTIONS 


(1824) 


X 


HERE   LIES 

ANNE,  DAUGHTER  OF  ALEX.  PROSPERI, 

OF   CORI : 

A   MOTHER   TO   THE   POOR, 

MOST     DEVOTED     TO     HER     CHILDREN, 

A    MATRON    OF   THE    OLDEN    PIETY, 

A   MODEL   OF   DOMESTIC   VIRTUE, 

PROVIDENT  AND  GENEROUS  : 

MOURNED   BY   ALL   GOOD   PEOPLE, 

SHE  DEPARTED  THIS  LIFE 

AUG.   5TH,   1824, 

AGED   51    YEARS,  7   MONTHS,   11  DAYS. 

TO   THIS   DEAR   AND   INCOMPARABLE   WOMAN, 

HER  HUSBAND  LUIGI  PECCI 

AND   HER   WEEPING   CHILDREN 

HAVE   ERECTED   THIS   MONUMENT. 

FAREWELL,     THOU    PUREST    SOUL! 

REST   IN   PEACE  I 

*)  At  the  death  of  his  dearest  mother.    The  monument  is  set  up  in  the 
Chiu-ch  of  the  Sacred  Stigmata  of  Francis  of  Assisi. 

241 


INSCBIPTIONES 


AN.   MDCCCLXXin 

GERTRVDI  STERBINIAE 

VIRGINI  .  SALESIANAE 

INNOCENTISSIMAE 

QVAE 

VTI  .  CHRISTO  .  lESV  .  PLACERET 

ASPERA  .  MVLTA  .  FORTITER  .  TVLIT 

EADEM 

RIGIDIORVM  .  ALVMNA  .  ET  .  CVLTRIX  .  VIRTVTVM 

MVNERIBVS  .   LABORIBVS  .   QVE  .  SANCTE  .  PERFVNCTA 

MATURA   .  CAELO 

LAETA  .  LIBENS 

IN  .  PACE  .  CHRISTI  .  CONQVIEVIT 

III.   NON.   FEBR.  AN.   MDCCCLXXIII. 

ANNOS   .   NATA   .   XLIII   .  M   .   I   .   D   .   XXVI. 

IVLIVS  .  FRATER 

SORORI   .   INCOMPARABILI 
SE    .    SVOS    .    QVE    .    COMMENDAT 


242 


INSCRTPTIONS 


(1873) 

TO 

GERTRUDE   STERBINI 

A   SALESIAN^    NUN 

OF   MOST   BLAMELESS   LIFE, 

WHO, 

THAT   SHE   MIGHT   BE   PLEASING 

TO    CHRIST   JESUS, 

BORE    WITH    FORTITUDE    MANY   TRIALS 

AND  CULTIVATED  AND  EXEMPLIFIED 

THE    MOST    RIGID    VIRTUES. 

HAVING  PERFORMED  HOLILY  HER  DUTIES  AND  LABORS, 

BEING   RIPE   FOR    HEAVEN, 

HAPPY  AND  RESIGNED 

IN    THE    PEACE 

FEB.    3D,    1873, 

AGED  43  YEARS,   1   MONTH,   26  DAYS. 

TO    THIS    INCOMPARABLE    SISTER 

HER    BROTHER    GIULIO    COMMENDS 

HIM   AND   HIS. 

^)i.  e.,  &  Nun  of  the  Order  of  the  Visitation  founded  under  the  direction 
of  St.  Francis  de  Sales. 

243 


INSCRIPTIONES 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXVn 


LEO  XIII.  P.   M. 

AEDES  .  VETERES 

DYNASTARVM  .  SIGNIENSIVM 

AERE   .   SVO   .   COEMPTAS   .   REFECTAS 

PVERIS  .  PVELLISQVE 

AD  .  RELIGIONEM 

AD  .  HVMANITATEM  .  ERVDIENDIS 

DESTINAVIT 

AN.   MDCCCLXXXVII 

BLASIO  .  8IBILIA  .  EPISCOPO 


244 


INSCRIPTIONS 


(1887) 

LEO  XIII.  P.   M. 

HAS   DEVOTED 

THIS    ANCIENT    PALACE 

OF    THE     LORDS     OF     SEGNI, 

WHICH    HE   PURCHASED   AND   REPAIRED 

AT    HIS    OWN    EXPENSE, 

TO  THE  EDUCATION 

OF   BOYS   AND    GIRLS 

IN    KNOWLEDGE   AND    PIETY  : 

IN    THE    YEAR    1887, 

DURING   THE   EPISCOPATE   OF 

BLASIO   SIBILIA. 


245 


MORALIA 


MOEALIA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXVI 


RERVM  .  MORTALIVM  .  VICES 


VIRTVTE  .  RELICTA 


MI8ERAE  ,  ET  .  LAMENTABILES 


248 


MORALIA 


(1886) 


THE   VICISSITUDES   OF   OUR   MORTAL   LIFE, 


ONCE   VIRTUE   IS   LEFT   BEHIND, 


ARE   INDEED   FULL   OF   MISERY   AND   MOURNING. 


249 


MORALIA 


Omne  quod  in  mundo  est,  concupiscentia  carnis  est,  et 
concupiscentia  oculorum,  et  superbia  vitae.^ 
{loan.  Ep.  I,  c.  ii,  v.  16.) 

AN.    MDCCCLXXXVI 


Concupiscentia  carnis 


INSANA  .  VOLVPTATVM  .  CVPIDITAS 

INIMICA  .  RATIONI 

MULTORVM  .  SCELERVM  .  ABOMINATA 

PARENS 

HOMINVM  .  GENERI 

DEDECVS  .  ET  .  IQNOMINIAM 

INVRIT 


')  Cornelius  a  Lapide  in  hunc  locum:  "quidquid  spectabili  hoc  rnundo 
"continetur,  aut  carnis  cupidinibus,  aut  illecebris  animum  emollit  et  in- 
"quinat,  aut  opum  cupiditate  accendit,  aut  superbia  et  fastu  extollit;  quae 
"omnia  sunt  a  Deo  Patre  eiusque  amore  aliena,  atque  ad  haec  caduca 
"  mundi  bona,  vel  potius  bonorum  umbras  et  simulacra  pertinent." 


260 


MOEALIA 


All  that  is  in  the  world  is  the  concupiscence  of  the 
flesh,  and  the  concupiscence  of  the  eyes,  and  the 
pride  of  Ufe/ 

(John,  Ep.  I,  c,  II,  V.  16.) 

(1886) 

Concupiscence  of  the  fl^h 
I. 

INSENSATE   LOVE   OF   PLEASURE, 

AN   ENEMY   TO   REASON, 

AN   ACCURSED   PARENT   OF   MANY   SINS, 

BRANDS    MANKIND 

WITH   SHAME   AND   DISGRACE. 


1)  Cornelius  a  Lapide,  commenting  on  this  text,  says:  "Whatever  this 
Aisible  world  contains,  either  weakens  and  stains  the  soul  through  the  lusts 
and  allurements  of  the  flesh,  or  inflames  it  with  the  desire  of  riches,  or  exalts 
it  with  pride  and  arrogance  ;  but  all  this  is  foreign  to  God  the  Father  and  to 
His  love,  and  belongs  to  the  transitory  goods— or  rather  shadows  and  phan- 
toms of  good  things— of  this  world." 


251 


MORALIA 


II. 


VOLVPTAS 


INVERECVNDA  .  ET  .  IMPROBA  .  SIREN 


CANTV  .  BLANDITIIS 


HVMANA  .  PECTORA  .  EMOLLIT 


FASCINAT 


CIRCAEO  .  POCVLO 


AD  .  EXITIVM  .  ET  .  NECEM 


ADDVCIT 


262 


MORALIA 


II. 


PLEASURE 


IS   A    LEWD   AND   SHAMELESS   SIREN: 


WITH   SONGS   AND   CARESSES 


SHE   ENERVATES   THE   HEART; 


BEWITCHING 


SHE   LEADS   THE   WAY   TO   RUIN 


AND   DEATH. 


253 


MORALIA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXVI. 

Concupiscentia  oculorum 
I. 

EXLEX  .  DIVITIARVM  .  AMOR 

PESSIMVM  .  GENVS  .  SERVITVTIS 

AD  .  TERRAM  .  AFFIGIT  .  IMMORTALES ' 

^  ANIMOS 

<:;ONSECTARI  .  INEXPLEBILI  .  AVIDITATE  .  COACTOS 

VMBRAM  .  ET  .  IMAGINES 

BREVI  .  DILAPSVRAS 


254 


MORALIA 


(1886) 


Concupiscence  of  the  eyes 


I. 


THE    MEANEST    OF    SLAVERIES, 
BINDS    CLOSE    TO    EARTH    IMMORTAL 


SOULS 


WHO    ARE    FORCED 


BY    AN    INSATIABLE    CRAVING 


TO    PURSUE    DREAMS    AND    SHADOWS 


THAT    SOON    FADE    AWAY. 


2^5 


MORALIA 


II. 


PECVNIAM  .  INFINITE  .  CONCVPISCENS 


FASTIDIT  .  HOMO 


MANSVRA  .  ANIMI  .  BONA 


REBVSQVE  .  ADHAERESCENS 


INCERTIS  .  ET  .  FLVXIS 


HVMILI  .  METV  .  HVMILIORE  .  SPE 


LVDITVR  .  INVICEM 


266 


MORALIA 


II 


WHO  HATH  BOUNDLESS  CRAVING  FOR  WEALTH 


LOATHES 


THE  LASTING  TREASURES  OF  THE  SOUL  ; 


BECOMES  THE  SPORT  BY  TURNS 


OF   A    MEAN    FEAR 


AND    A     STILL     MORE     IGNOBLE     HOPE. 


257 


MOBALIA 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXVI 


Superbia  vitae 


AMBITIO 


SIMVLTATVM  .  CONTENTIONVMQVE 


ACERRIMA  .  INSTIGATRIX 


IVSTITIA  .  POSTHABITA  .  FALLACIA  .  COMITE 


AD  .  PRAEMIA  .  AVDACTER  .  NITITVR 


VIRTVTI  .  DEBITA 


258 


MORAL! A 


(1886) 

The  pride  of  life 
I 

AMBITION, 

THE    FIERCEST   SPUR 

TO    HIDDEN    HATE    AND    OPEN    WAR, 

TURNS    ITS    BACK    ON    JUSTICE, 

AND,     MAKING    DECEIT    ITS    COMPANION 

STRIVES    BRAZENLY    FOR    THE    REWARDS 

DUE    TO    VIRTUE. 


259 


MORALIA 


II 


TVMENS  .  ANIMVS  .  SVPERBIA 


IN   .   SE   .   VNO   .   PON  IT   .   OMNIA 


CORRVPTOQVE  .  IVDICIO  .  VERI 


GRANDIA  .  AGITANS  .  INANIA  .  CAPTANS 


ERRORE .  VARIO 


AD  .  PEIORA  .  DELABITVR 


260 


MORA LI  A 


II 


THE    SOUL    PUFFED    UP    WITH    PRIDE 


CENTERS  ALL  THINXtS  IN  HERSELF; 


SCHEMING    GREAT    DEEDS, 


SEIZES  BUT  SHADOWS 


AND    THROUGH    VARIOUS    ERRORS 


FALLS    FROM    BAD    TO    WORSE. 


261 


MORA LI  A 


AN.    MDCCCLXXXII] 


De  ratione  vitae  in  pontificatu  degendae 


IN  .  MORTALI  .  VITA  .  QVAE  .  SVPEREST 


DECRETVM  .  EST 


OBLATA   .   QVOTIDIE   .   PIACVLARI  .   HOSTIA 


ARCTIVS  .  DEO  .  ADHAERERE 


CVRANDAEQVE  .  HOMINUM  .  SALVTI  .  SEMPITERNAE 


STVDIOSIVS  .  IN  .  DIES 


VIGILANTI  .  ANIMO 


ADLABORARE. 


262 


MORALIA 


(1883) 


On  the  life  he  shall  lead  in  his  pontificate 


FOR    THE    REST    OF    MY    MORTAL    LIFE 

I    AM    FIRMLY    RESOLVED, 

BY    OFFERING  DAILY 

THE    VICTIM    OF    PROPITIATION, 

TO    CLEAVE    MORE    CLOSELY    TO    GOD; 

AND,    WITH    WATCHFUL 

AND    EVER-GROWING    ZEAL, 

TO    LABOR 

FOR    THE    ETERNAL    SALVATION 

OF    THE    SOULS    OF    MEN. 


263 


MO  R  ALIA 


II 


AGE  .  lAM 


ENITERE  .  ENITERE  .  O  .  LEO 


ARDVA  .  QVAEQVE  .  FIDENTER  .  MOLIRI 


DVRA  .  FORTITER  .  PATI 


NE  .  REFORMIDES 


DEVEXA  .  lAM  .  AETATE  .  EMENSOQVE  .  PROPEMODVM 


VITAE  .  CVRSV 


REBVS  .  CADVCIS  .  ABDICATIS  .  CONTEMPTIS 


ALTIORA  .  APPETENS  .  ANIMO 


AD  .  CAELESTEM  .  PATRTAM 


CONSTANTER  .  ADSPIRA. 


264 


MOB  A  LI  A 


II 

FORWARD,   THEN,    LEO ! 

STRIVE,    STRIVE 

TO    SURMOUNT    WITH    COURAGE 

WHATSOEVER    OBSTACLES; 

TO    ENDURE    WITH    PATIENCE 

WHATSOEVER    TRIALS; 

FEAR    not: 

YOUR    LIFE    IS    NEARLY    ENDED, 

YOUR  RACE  IS  NEARLY  RUN: 

RENOUNCE    AND    SPURN 

ALL    THAT    IS    PERISHABLE; 

ASPIRE    TO    THE    HEIGHTS; 

PRESS    FORWARD 

WITH  CONSTANT  LONGING 

TOWARDS    THY    HEAVENLY 

FATHERLAND. 


2iJl 


NOTES 

AD  VINCENTIUM  PAVANITM  (p.  2). 

"Ever  since  the  school-bov  of  Viterbo  has  become  the  teacher  of 
the  Christian  world.  European  and  American  scholars  have  been 
able  to  admire  and  praise  the  classic  taste  and  exquisite  finish  of  the 
productions  of  his  pen.  in  prose  and  verse.  He  gave  early  promise 
of  uncommon  literary  distinction.  Just  as  he  had  completed  his 
twelfth  year,  a  college  festival  was  got  up  to  welcome  the  Provincial 
of  the  Jesuits.  Father  Vincent  Pavani.  This  gave  to  Vincent  Pecci 
the  first  recorded  opportunity  of  showing  his  proficiency  in  Latin 
verse,  as  well  as  his  admiration  for  the  character  of  the  venerable 
man  who  honored  the  name  of  Vincent."      (O'Reilly's  Life,  p.  55.) 

"  II  est  interessant  de  retrouver  dans  1'  enfance  des  grands  hommes 
les  premiers  gerraes  des  qualitcs  qui  se  drvelopperont  dans  le  cours 
de  leur  vie.  A  ce  titre.  on  pent  citer  une  epigramme  latine,  faite,  a 
r  epoque  dont  nous  parlons,  par  le  jeune  Pecci.  .  .  .  On  y  reconnait 
deja  la  pure  et  classique  latinite  qu'  on  admire  dans  tout  ce  qui  sort 
de  la  plume  du  pontife  regnant."  (Mgr.  de  T'Serclaes:  Le  Pape 
Leon  XIII,  Vol.  I,  p.  35. )  And  Brunelli,  in  his  monograph  (  Vita 
letteraria  di  Leone  XIII),  calls  these  distichs  ''quei  primi  suoi  versi 
cosi  ingegnosi  ed  eleganti." 

DE  IXVALETUDINE  SUA  (p.  4). 

The  poem  was  written  when  the  author  was  but  twenty  years  of 
age.  Over  seventy  years  have  passed  since  then — years,  all  of  them, 
filled  with  the  daily  and  hourly  labors  of  a  most  active  public  career. 
Some  hints  as  to  the  details  of  that  life  are  given  in  the  author's 
poem  Ad  Josephum  Fratrem.  But  when  we  read  the  fuller  narratives 
of  Keller,  O'Eeilly,  McCarthy,  De  T'Serclaes  and  other  biographers, 
we  can  understand  better  the  physical  miracle  of  the  Pope's  life — 
that  tremendous  burden  of  work  borne  so  adequately  by  an  attenu- 
ated frame,  which  one  writer  has  compared  to  a  translucent  vase  of 
alabaster.  I  quote  from  O'Reilly:  "  Leo  XIII  is  an  early  riser.  His 
valet  awakes  him  at  a  stated  and  early  hour.     The  aged  priest  has 

267 


NOTES 


not  changed  the  simple  habits  of  a  lifetime  because  he  is  Pope.  He 
is  soon  dressed  in  his  cassock  of  pure  white,  and  spends  a  few  mo- 
ments in  adoration  at  the  altar  of  his  private  chapel.  Then  there  is 
a  half  hour  spent  in  meditation  or  mental  prayer  on  some  of  the 
great  Gospel  truths  or  mysteries.  This  over,  one  of  his  chaplains 
recites  with  him  Prime,  Terce  and  Sext — the  three  first  morning 
'Hours'  of  the  canonical  office— and  the  Holy  Father  is  ready  for 
Mass.  .  .  At  length  the  Mass  is  over,  and  the  Pope  and  all  pres- 
ent have  heard  a  second  Mass  of  thanksgiving.  .  .  .  They  bring  an 
arm-chair  .  .  and  all  present  come  once  more  in  succession  to 
kneel  at  his  feet.  .  .  .  Family  groups  are  introduced.  .  .  .  Quite 
near  the  little  chapel  is  the  Pope's  breakfast-room.  It  is  simple 
enough  in  all  conscience.  And  what  is  the  breakfast  ?  A  cup  of 
black  coffee  with  a  small  roll  of  bread.  Nothing  more.  And  now 
the  breakfast  is  ended  and  the  Pope  withdraws  to  his  private  study, 
where  his  enormous  correspondence  and  his  secretaries  are  waiting 
for  him.  Every  day  in  the  week  and  every  hour  in  each  day  has  its 
own  appointed  labor.  The  congregations  or  standing  committees  of 
cardinals,  among  whom  are  divided  all  the  matters  connected  with 
the  vast  administration  of  a  Church  numbering  200,000,000,  report 
regularly  to  the  Holy  Father.  Some  of  them  have  the  Pope  for 
president,  and  hold  their  sittings  in  his  presence.  .  .  .  Innumerable 
congregations  and  commissions  besides  have  their  special  work  to  do, 
and  to  report  regularly.  .  .  .  His  memory  and  his  all-grasping  in- 
tellect seem  to  be  equal  to  the  most  astounding  labor.  .  .  .  And 
then  there  is  the  Cardinal  Secretary  of  State  and  the  terribly  difficult 
and  incredibly  delicate  work  of  dealing  with  the  foreign  govern- 
ments. Look  over  the  entire  political  and  diplomatic  field,  and 
think  of  the  hard  and  long  battles  the  Holy  See  has  to  fight,  not 
only  with  non-Catholic  courts,  but  with  those  that  we  call  Catholic. 
All  this  is  a  matter  of  daily,  sometimes  of  hourly,  concern  and  labor 
for  the  Holy  Father.  He  has  to  receive  ambassadors,  archbishops, 
bishops,  pilgrims,  deputations,  addresses  from  the  numerous  Catholic 
unions  and  committees,  and  from  Catholic  congresses.  You  look  at 
tlie  Pontiff's  own  face  and  form,  and  wonder  how  the  lamp  of  life  is 
fed  or  does  not  go  out  in  such  a  frail  vessel.  .  .  -  The  Breviary 
Office  is  recited  with  one  of  his  chaplains.  The  utter  weariness  be- 
gotten by  the  terrible  round  of  official  duties  is  lightened  or  dispelled 
by  the  pleasure  the  Pope  finds  in  prayer,  in  the  recitation  of  the 
inspired  Psalms  of  '  the  sweet  Singer  of  Israel,'  in  the  lessons  of  Holy 

268 


NOTES 


Scripture  and  the  brief  record  of  the  life  of  the  saint  of  the  day. 
After  examination  of  conscience  and  night  prayers,  the  aged  Pope  is 
supposed  to  retire  and  to  rest.  .  .  .  But  does  he  never  break  in  upon 
his  rest?  Too  frequently,  they  say.  His  magnificent  encyclicals, 
his  consistorial  allocutions,  his  addresses  to  pilgrims,  deputations 
and  societies,  his  most  important  bulls  or  constitutions,  like  those  on 
the  restoration  of  the  Scotch  hierarchy,  .  .  .  are  written  or  cor- 
rected or  finished  in  the  quiet  of  the  night."     (Chap.  XXXIV. ) 

What  a  marvellous  commentary  on  the  poem  De  Invaletudine  Sua! 
Since  it  was  written,  its  august  Author  has  rounded  out  more  years 
than  the  patriarchal  three-score-and-ten.  By  what  is  little  short  of 
a  physical  miracle,  the  gloomy  forecast  has  been  dissipated  thor- 
oughly by  a  glorious  fact. 

ROGEKIUS    A.    C.    EFFRONTEM    MULIEREM  DEPELLIT 

(p.  6). 
The  epigram  was  written  while  Joachim  Pecci  was  residing  at  the 
Muti  palace  with  his  uncle  Antonio  Pecci,  and  pursuing  a  course  as 
a  day-scholar  at  the  Roman  College.  The  verses  put  on  the  lips  of 
the  pseudonymous  Ruggero  are  the  only  ones  quoted  by  De  T'Ser- 
claes  (Vol.  I.,  p.  43).  They  illustrate  "  how  chaste  and  how  ardent 
was  the  muse  of  the  Carpinetan,"  and  how  it  recalls  the  holy  anger 
of  Thomas  Aquinas  ''chassant  loin  de  lui,  un  tison  enflamme  a  la 
main,  la  malheureuse  qui  venait  tenter  son  innocence."  Of  this 
period  of  his  life  the  biographer  remarks:  "  Sa  vie  etait  retiree  et 

solitaire  comme  celle  d'un  moine Et  cependant  cet  austere 

etudiant  etait  un  poete  de  race.  Ses  vers  coulaient  de  source  avec 
une  verve  sans  pareille.     Ajoutons  que  c'etaient  des  vers  latins." 

ARTIGIANO  (p.  12). 

In  placing  the  little  shrine  of  Janus  on  the  Tarpeian  or  Capitoline 
hill  {sul  Tarpeio,  apud  Capitolium  sen  Tarpeum  mordent)  the  author 
of  the  Charade  (written,  says  Prof.  Brunelli,  in  1834)  has  for  com- 
panion no  less  an  authority  than  Mommsen,  who  in  1844  published 
in  the  Annali  dell'  Instituio  an  essay  De  Comitio  Romano,  in  which 
he  maintains  that  the  temple  of  Janus  was  on  the  Tarpeian  hill  {in 
ipso  monte),  and  endeavors  to  support  his  thesis  by  quotations  from 
Tacitus,  Festus,  Ovid,  Martial,  and  Servius.  Perhaps  these  are  the 
aliqui  scriptores  referred  to  in  the  foot-note  to  the  Charade.  But 
Dyer,  in  his  excellent  article  on  Rome  (Smith's  Diet,  of  Gr.  and 

269 


NOTES 


Mom.  Geog.),  shows  clearly  how  far  Mommsen  erred  in  his  interpre- 
tation. The  sacelluiu  of  Janus  probably  lay  between  the  Forum 
Romanum  and  the  Forum  Julii.  The  English  translation  fol- 
lows, of  course,  the  erroneous  implication,  or  rather  statement,  of 
the  Italian  original;  and  the  correction  has  been  relegated  to  this 
place. 

The  Charade  also  assumes  that  in  the  three  arcades  or  Jani  re- 
ferred to  by  Horace,  statues  of  the  god  had  been  set  up.  The  Eng- 
lish translation  of  the  Charade  follows  the  implication  of  the  Italian 
original,  although  the  more  recent  view  refers  the  Janus  summus, 
mediiis  and  imus  to  three  arches  near  the  Forum.  The  Charade 
would  lead  one  to  infer  that  the  "  piu  simulacri"  was  based  on 
Forcellini,  who  is  given  as  an  authority  in  the  foot-note.  Forcellini, 
however,  considei-s  Janus  to  be  the  name  of  a  street,  so  called  either 
because  of  a  temple  or  image  of  the  god,  or  of  three  arcades  it  pos- 
sessed itribus  Janis  perviis).  He  then  continues:  Prima  hujus  vici 
pars,  ubi  pecunia  fenori  dabatur,  summus  Janus,  ultima  imus,  media 
medius  Janus  vocabatur.  And  he  adduces  the  illustrations  from 
Horace  in  support  of  this  interpretation. 

CANESTRO  ip.  16). 

The  charade  is  addressed  to  Silvia.  In  the  opening  words  of 
Shakespeare's  Song  ("  Two  Gentlemen  of  Verona,"  Act  IV.,  sc.  II), 
we  may  ask: 

Who  is  Silvia?  what  is  she, 

That  all  our  swains  commeud  her? 

That  Shakespeare's  Silvia  is  meant  might  readily  be  inferred  from 
the  similarity  of  the  praises  awarded  her  by  the  Charade: 

O  deile  donue  italiche, 
Silvia,  decoro  e  vaiito, 

which  accord  well  with  the  third  stanza  of  Shakespeare's  Song: 

Then  to  Silvia  let  us  sing-, 

That  Silvia  is  excelling: 
She  excels  each  inortsil  thing 

Upon  the  dull  earth  dwelling  ; 
To  her  let  us  garlands  bring. 

As  the  "anglo  vate"  has  oflered  garlands  to  her,  the  young  author 
will  modestly  tender  but  '*un  tiorellin  poetico"  culled  in  his  little 
garden. 

270 


NOTES 


Or  does  Silvia  symbolize  Florence?  The  fii-st  four  lines  of  the 
Charade  seem  to  be  but  an  Italian  translation  of  Rogers  ("  Italy," 
I,  xx): 

Of  all  the  fairest  cities  of  the  earth 

None  are  so  fair  as  Florence. 

Or,  lastly,  does  she  typify  Eome?  Silvia,  the  mother  of  Eomulus 
in  the  old  myth,  might  very  well  be  chosen  as  Rome  personified. 
And  the  preeminence  of  Rome  would  make  the  declaration  that  she 
is  the  *•  decore  e  vanto"  of  all  ItaKa's  queenly  cities  nothing  more 
than  a  literal  statement  of  a  historical  fact;  for  what  Shakespeare 
sings  of  his  Silvia  may  be  said  as  well  of  Rome: 

Holy,  fair  and  wise  is  she, 

The  heaven  such  grace  did  lend  her, 
That  she  might  admired  be. 

Is,  then,  the  ''anglo  vate"  Shakespeare?  or  is  it,  perchance, 
Byron  that  is  referred  to?  From  the  preceding  Charade  on  "  Arti- 
^iano,"  wherein  Silvia  is  addressed  in  similar  fashion,  a  reader 
might  well  conclude  that  Silvia  is  Rome,  and  from  the  present 
Charade  on  '' Cau-estro,'"  that  the  English  bard  is  Byron. 

A  MOXSIGNOR  ORFEI  (p.  22). 

Many  biographers  of  the  Pope  tell  us  of  the  really  romantic  con- 
tests waged  by  the  young  man  of  twenty-seven  who.  as  Delegate 
Apostolic  in  Benevento,  found  himself  confronted  with  a  well- 
entrenched  brigandage.  But  despite  a  severe  sickness  from  which 
he  suffered  at  the  outset  of  his  official  life  there,  and  despite  the  har- 
assing cares  besetting  a  relbrraer  in  civil  life,  he  seems  to  have  re- 
tained a  fine  sense  of  the  ludicrous.  This  sense  of  humor  is,  in  the 
opinion  of  Father  Faber,  a  saving  grace.  "We  find  it  charmingly 
displayed  in  this  poem  (written  first  in  Italian  and  subsequently 
translated  by  its  author  into  Latin  elegiacs).  It  is  dedicated  to 
Mons.  Orfei,  the  authors  predeces.sor  in  office,  wbo  had  assigned  a 
part  of  the  Apostolic  palace,  called  the  Casfello,  to  the  President  of 
the  Court,  a  certain  avrocato  recently  arrived  from  Loretto.  The 
lawyei-'s  name  was  Palomba,  which  is  good  Italian  for  ''  ring-dove" 
or  ''  wood-pigeon."  He  came  with  his  wife  and  children  to  take  up 
his  residence  in  a  house  whose  demure  quiet  had  been  broken  only 
by  the  lyric  accomplishments  of  Mons.  Orfei.  "We  can  easily  fancy 
the  jarring  of  nerves  consequent  on  such  an  invasion  by  noisy  chil- 

271 


NOTES 


dren  and,  perhaps,  crying  babies.  At  all  events,  the  antithesis  fur- 
nished by  two  such  names  as  Orfei  and  Palomba  was  too  good  to 
escape  appropriate  recognition. 

The  similarity  of  the  thought  of  the  first  stanza  to  that  of  Dryden's 
Ode  has  led  the  present  translator  to  borrow  one  line  from  the  Eng- 
lish bard:  ''Sequacious  of  the  lyre."  He  has  not  felt  called  upon 
in  this  and  similar  instances  of  appropriation  (e.  g. ,  the  Macbethian 
"way  to  dusty  death"  in  De  Invaletudine  Sua^  and  the  Scriptural 
"  poison  of  asps  is  under  their  tongue"  in  Rogerius  A.  C.  Effrontem 
Mulierem  Depellit,  etc. ),  to  credit  the  stolen  phrases  to  their  several 
obvious  sources. 

IN  MAEVIUM  (p.  28). 

The  poem  ''In  Maevium  "  is  a  pretty  piece  of  writing,  and  not 
without  an  obvious  humor — although  the  allusion  is  not  clear.  Was 
this  modern  Maevius  a  wretched  poet  like  him  of  old  on  whose  luck- 
less head  Horace,  throughout  his  tenth  Epode,  calls  down  a  choice 
collection  of  maledictions?  and  whom  Virgil  scores  in  his  Third 
Eclogue: 

Qui  Bavium  non  edit,  amet  tua  carmina,  Maevi  ; 
Atque  idem  iungat  vulpes  et  mulgeat  hircos. 

Or  was  he  merely  an  eccentric  "sharper"  with  "method  in  his 
madness  ?"  However  it  be,  the  poem  is  full  of  life  and  movement, 
the  portraiture  is  vivid,  and  the  whisper  of  the  bystander  — "  Calli- 
dior  vulpes  pol !  Maevius" — is  refreshingly  true  to  nature.  The 
full  title  of  the  poem  is:  "In  Maevium,  Yirum  Callidum  et  Ab- 
normem," 

IN  SEKAPHINUM  PARADISIUM  (p.  36). 

Whilst  Archbishop  of  Perugia,  Cardinal  Pecci  was  wont  to  have 
recourse  to  verse,  both  as  a  solace  amidst  the  cares  of  his  office  and 
as  a  means  of  testifying  to  his  affectionate  remembrance  of  certain 
excellent  priests  who  had  toiled  faithfully  and  gone  to  their  reward. 
The  verses  in  honor  of  one  Serafino  Paradisi,  parish-priest  of  S. 
Elena,  in  playing  delicately  on  the  words  of  his  name,  make  use  of 
what  is  ordinarily  a  dangerous  experiment;  for  where  such  word- 
play happens  to  escape  banality,  it  meets  the  danger  either  of  un- 
pleasant criticism  or  of  uncritical  flattery.  Happily,  the  Bishop's 
poem  is  free  from  all  these  complications;  for  a  note  appended  to  it 

272 


NOTES 


assures  us  that  it  has  chosen  for  praise  a  man  who  was  "  integer 
Titae  et  cams  ubique  inodestia  sua." 

AKS  PHOTOGKAPHICA  (p.  44). 
Cardinal  Pecci,  while  Archbishop  of  Perugia,  found  some  slight 
leisure  in  the  midst  of  the  many  grave  perplexities  and  laborious 
undertakings  of  that  period  of  his  life,  to  cultivate  the  muse  with 
his  old  ardor.  The  only  poem  cited  by  De  T'Serclaes  (I.,  p.  151) 
is  the  Ars  Photo graphica,  which  certainly  deserves  the  comment; 
"Citons  de  lui  quel  ques  vers  charmants,  qui  traitent  a  la  v^rite  un 
Bujet  profane,  mais  avec  quel  charme!  la  difficulte  ^tait  d'autant 
plus  grande  qu'il  s'agissait  de  celebrer  en  latin  une  chose  essentielle- 
ment  moderne:  la  photographic." 

IN  GALLUM  (p.  46). 
Doubtless  Virgil's  Tenth  Eclogue  suggested   the  name   to   the 
Bishop: 

....  sollicitos  Galli  dicainus  am  ores  (1.  6). 

But  Virgil  condoles  with  his  Gallus,  while  the  Bishop  condemns 
his  Gallus.  And  although  the  opening  line  of  the  poem  commences 
with  the  same  words  {Galle,  quid  insanis)  as  the  22nd  line  of  the 
Eclogue,  the  ''insanity"  assumes  different  complexions  in  the  two 
cases.  A  further  correspondence  of  the  two  poems  is  found  in  the 
words: 

Ecquis  erit  modus, 

which  commence  the  28th  line  of  the  Eel.  and  the  9th  line  of  the 
Bishop's  poem. 

AD  JOSEPHUM  FRATEEM  (p.  64). 

I. 

Quam  felix  flore  in  prime,  quam  laeta  Lepinis 
Orta  jugis,  patrio  sub  lare,  vita  fuit! 

'^  Our  Carpineto is  a  populous  little  town  of  five  thousand 

inhabitants,  situated  in  a  cleft  of  the  Monti  Lepini,  a  portion  of  the 
Volscian  range  nearest  to  Velletri.  It  is  an  eagle's  nest,  placed  for 
security  high  above  the  plain,  between  two  gigantic  rocks.  (^Such 
was  the  picturesque  expression  used  by  the  venerable  Cardinal 
Joseph  Pecci  in  describing  to  the  author  the^mountain-home  of  his 
family ) ."  — O' Reilly' s  Life. 

273 


NOTES 


The  Lepini  mountains  were  recently  (Aug.  29,  1901)  the  subject 
of  a  triple  embassage: 

''The  cross  of  the  Solemn  Homage  on  the  Leo  XIII.  peak  of 
Mount  Capreo  at  Carpineto  has  been  inaugurated  with  great  pomp. 
The  ceremony  over,  at  half-past  8  on  August  29  carrier  pigeons 
were  despatched  to  the  Vatican.  The  first  reached  the  dovecot  in 
the  Papal  gardens  at  ten  minutes  past  10,  bearing  the  greeting: 

Victrix  nunc  Christi  Capreo  Crux  fulget  ob  alto: 
En  tibi,  Magne  Leo,  nuncia  grata  fero. 

E.  Santesarte. 

The  signature  was  that  of  the  parish  priest. 
At  half-past  10  a  second  pigeon  arrived  with: 

Praepetibus  peunis  agros  emensa  latinos 
Nuntiasisto:  Crucis  stant  monumeuta  Leo. 

At  a  quarter  to  11  a  third  arrived  with: 

Te  vexilla  Crucis  Capreo  de  monte  salutant; 
Te,  Leo,  nunc  plausu,  saxa  lepina  sonant." 

Doubtless  the  three  distichs  were  suggested  as  an  appropriate 
metrical  form  by  this  poem  De  Se  Ipso.  They  might  be  rendered 
into  English  as  follows: 

The  Cross  of  Christ  shines  forth  from  Capreo's  mount: 
And  I,  great  Leo,  bear  the  glad  account. 

With  pinion  swift  I  clove  the  Latin  sky 

To  bear  the  news:  The  Cross  is  raised  on  high! 

Leo,  behold  the  Cross  of  victory, 
While  the  Lepini  echo  praise  to  thee ! 

It  was  a  happy  thought  to  raise  on  the  native  hills  of  Leo  the 
standard  of  Him  to  whom  Leo,  in  his  majestic  Ca^-vien  Saeculare,  had 
dedicated  the  New  Century. 

11. 

Altrix  te  puerum  Vetulonia  suscipit  ulnis, 
Atqne  in  Loyolae  excolit  acde  pium. 

The  young  Pecci  remained  six  years  (1818-1824)  at  Viterbo. 
Here  it  was  that  he  wrote,  in  his  twelfth  year,  the  two  distichs  in 
honor  of  the  Provincial  of  the  Jesuits — his  earliest  recorded  poem. 
Here  it  was,  too,  that  a ' '  very  serious  sickness,  which  he  had  during 

274 


NOTES 


the  college  sessions  of  1821,  impaired  not  a  little  the  robust  health 
nourished  in  the  bracing  air  of  his  native  Volscian  hills,  .  .  .  He 
never  afterward  enjoved  the  pliysical  vigor  of  his  early  boyhood." 
(O'Reilly.) 

III. 

The  next  eight  distichs  may  be  considered  under  one  paragraph. 

"  When,  in  1825,  the  Eoman  College  solemnly  inaugurated  its 
courses  of  ecclesiastical  and  secular  teaching,  its  halls  vrere  at  once 
filled  by  fourteen  hundred  students.  Among  these  was  Vincent 
Pecci.  .  .  .  More  remarkable  still  was  his  success  in  Latin  verse. 
The  rule  for  all  who  contended  here  for  the  prize  of  excellence  was 
that  they  should,  within  the  space  of  six  hours,  and  without  any 
external  aid  whatever,  write  a  certain  number  of  Latin  hexametei's 
on  a  specified  subject.  This  subject  happened  to  be  the  Feast  of  Bel- 
shazzar.  Young  Pecci  [then  15  yeai-s  old]  produced  one  hundred 
and  twenty  verses  of  such  unquestionable  excellence  that  the  prize 
was  unanimously  awarded  to  him  by  the  judges.  This,  however,  was 
not  his  only  success:  to  him  were  also  awarded  the  fii-st  honors  in 
Greek."  (O'Eeilly.)  In  1830,  he  was  matriculated  among  the 
Divinity  students  of  the  Gregorian  L'niversity,  his  Alma  Mater. 
Father  Manera,  mentioned  so  lovingly  in  the  poem,  was  Prefect  of 
Studies,  and  had  founded  an  Academia  for  the  theological  students. 
"To  give  this  academy  a  firm  standing  in  the  public  opinion  of  the 
university,  two  solemn  disputations  were  held  in  the  university  hall. 

.  .  .  The  person  chosen  on  both  occasions  to  expose  the  doctrines 
of  Picvelation  and  to  detect  and  refute  all  possible  objections  was 
Pecci."  After  his  course  in  the  university,  he  studied  law  and 
diplomacy  at  the  Academy  of  Noble  Ecclesiastics.  Cardinal  Sala, 
who  is  referred  to  with  such  great  affection  in  the  poem,  was  a  ven- 
erable man  "who  had  been  associated  with  Cardinal  Caprara  in  the 
disastrous  legation  to  Paris  in  1808,  and  whose  soul  had  been  tried, 
like  that  of  Pius  YII  himself,  by  the  six  terrible  years  that  fol- 
lowed." He  had  "conceived  a  warm  attachment  for  Pecci.  In 
their  intercourse  the  young  and  inexperienced  churchman  learned, 
from  one  who  had  been  thrice  purified  in  the  furnace,  many  lessons 
which  were  soon  to  be  of  priceless  service  to  himself  in  governing 
men  and  dealing  with  governments."     (O'Reilly). 

But  here  the  limitations  of  space  give  warning  that  the  remaining 
lines  of  the  poem  may  not  be  illustrated  even  in  the  sketchy  way  of 


NOTES 


the  preceding  paragraph.  Anything  approaching  an  adequate  com- 
mentary would  constitute  little  short  of  a  volume  of  biography. 
While  we  may  not  venture  on  such  an  undertaking,  the  poem 
surely  invites  to  a  closer  and  fuller  knowledge  of  the  Pope's  life  and 
wonderfully  fruitful  activity.  That  life  does  not  lack  romantic  as 
well  as  instructive  details.  In  illustration,  we  quote  from  the  Life 
of  Leo  the  Thirteenth,  edited  by  John  Oldcastle  (Wilfred  Meynell). 
The  incident  quoted  may  serve  as  a  part  of  the  abundant  commen- 
tary on  the  lines  of  the  poem: 

Dulcis  Parthenope,  Beneveutum  deiii  tenet,  aequo 
Ut  lege  Hir pines  imperioque  regas. 

*'  The  first  public  post  assigned  to  Monsignor  Pecci  by  Gregory 
XVT.  was  the  governorship  of  the  Province  of  Benevento.  Brigan- 
dage was  rife  in  the  district,  with  other  disorders — the  result  in  part 
of  the  French  invasion  and  of  the  long  imprisonment  of  the  Sover- 
eign Pontiff.  Class  was  divided  against  class.  The  tillers  of  the 
soil,  subject  to  cruel  exactions,  were  yet  unable  to  form  combinations 
for  their  mutual  protection  and  support.  Such  was  the  account  of 
things  sent  by  agents  of  the  peasantry  to  the  Pope  King— an  ac- 
count which  was  of  course  impugned  by  the  nobles,  who  retorted  by 
vaguely  but  vehemently  charging  the  people  with  laziness  and  a  love 
of  impracticable  politics.  The  Delegate  began  his  work  of  pacifica- 
tion in  his  own  way.  '  He  went  amongst  the  peasantry,'  says  a 
careful  writer  (C  Byrne's  Lives  of  the  Cardinals,  in  The  Oscotiau); 
he  visited  them  in  their  homes;  he  questioned  and  cross-questioned 
them  about  tlieir  affairs,  and  all  this  with  such  gentleness  of  man- 
ner and  such  deep  sympathy  for  their  hard  lot,  that  they  took  cour- 
age; whereas,  before,  they  had  been  full  of  fears  .  .  .  [now]  they 
boldly  told  the  history  of  their  sufferings  and  wrongs.  The  nobles 
and  officials  next  came  under  the  Delegate's  notice,  their  accounts 
were  overhauled  and  their  administration  subjected  to  a  searching 
examination.  They  were  compelled  to  meet  every  precise  charge 
that  any  of  the  peasantry  chose  to  make  against  them.  The  ac- 
cuser and  the  accused  were  brouglit  face  to  face  and  their  evidence 
taken  by  the  Delegate  in  person.  ...  he  was  too  alert  to  be  hood- 
winked and  too  firm  to  be  terrified.  In  a  short  time  it  became  easy 
to  see  in  what  direction  the  judgment  and  sympathies  of  the  Dele- 
gate were  tending.  The  officials  and  nobles  began  to  grow  alarmed. 
Recourse   was   had   to  intrigue.     An  impeachment  was  carried  to 

276 


NOTES 


Rome  of  the  Delegate's  manner  of  procedure  .  .  .  But  Pope  Greg- 
ory refused  to  move  or  to  interfere  in  any  way.  He  had  deliber- 
ately and  with  open  eyes  chosen  his  man  and  was  determined  to 
trust  him  .  .  .  Consequently  the  Delegate  was  left  with  a  free  hand 
to  work  out  the  problem  in  his  own  way.'  A  number  of  stories, 
more  or  less  to  the  point,  are  told  to  illustrate  the  energy  and  the 
impartiality  with  which  he  carried  out  his  operations  against  the 
brigands,  who  seem  to  have  terrorized  the  population  and  to  have 
secured  for  themselves  friends  in  high  places.  A  certain  noble,  on 
whose  movements  invidious  watch  had  been  kept,  came  one  day  to 
the  Delegate  in  a  fit  of  injured  innocence,  threatening  to  go  to  Rome 
to  bring  his  complaints  before  a  higher  tribunal: 

'Have  you  given  the  matter  enough  thought?'  asked  the  Dele- 
gate quietly. 

'Certainly,'  said  the  Marquis. 

'  I  don't  agree  with  you,'  replied  Monsignor.  *  In  these  matters 
one  cannot  reflect  too  much,  and  you  will  therefore  favor  me  by  re- 
maining here  as  my  prisoner.' 

That  night  the  noble's  castle  was  surrounded,  and  twenty-eight 
brigands  who  enjoyed  its  protection  were  either  slain  or  secured." 

All  of  the  above  illustrates  prettily  the  rather  dry  statement  of  the 
poem : 

"Benevento  sees 
Thy  Hirpine  rule  observe  all  equities!  " 

AD  lEREMIAM  BRUNELLI  RHETOREM  (p.  70). 

Geromia  Brunelli  was  professor  of  Literature  in  the  seminary  of 
Perugia  when  Cardinal  Pecci  was  Archbishop  of  that  city.  Ecclesi- 
astical seminaries  have  a  curriculum  usually  of  ten  years,  and  are 
divided  into  two  institutions — the  Preparatory  or  "  little"  and  the 
Higher  or  "great"  seminary.  In  Italy,  however,  the  compara- 
tively small  dioceses  do  not  permit  of  such  a  division;  as  Mgr.  de 
T'Serclaes  remarks  (Vol.  I.,  p.  150),  they  are  usually  under  the 
necessity  ''  de  concentrer  dans  un  seul  etablissement  le  cours  complet 
des  etudes  litteraires,  philosophiques  et  theologiques.  Cette  res 
marque  etait  necessaire  pour  faire  comprendre  le  joli  trait  que  nou- 
allons  rapporter  d'  apres  1'  abbe  J^remie  Brunelli,  professeur  de 
belles-lettres  au  seminaire  de  Perouse,  qui  y  joua  le  role  qu'  on  va 
voir."  The  anecdote  referred  to,  which  is  of  sufficient  interest  to 
justify  quotation  in  this  connection,  is  told  by  Brunelli  himself  in 

277 


NOTES 


his  edition  of  the  Carmina  translated  into  Italian,  and  issued  iu 
1883  {Prolusione^  pp.  77-8):  "It  happened  one  day  (what  the 
reason  was  I  recall  not)  that  I  was  late  in  getting  to  my  class  of 
literature.  Knowing  that  I  miglit  chance  to  meet  the  Cardinal, 
who  was  watchful  over  the  silence  and  order  of  the  place,  in  the 
corridors  of  the  seminary,  I  reached  the  door  of  my  class-room  with 
some  haste  and  anxiety,  as  you  may  well  imagine.  What  was  my 
surprise,  on  entering  the  room  with  great  briskness  and  assurance, 
to  see  the  Cardinal,  whose  presence  I  did  not  suspect,  seated  in  my 
chair  and  translating  to  my  delighted  pupils  a  passage  of  Cicero's 
Oratio  pro  Milone,  and  expounding  with  the  greatest  elegance  and 
taste  the  beauties  hidden  in  the  tongue  of  the  Roman  orator.  You 
can  imagine,  gentlemen,  my  bewilderment.  Collecting  my  wits,  I 
sat  down  on  the  benches  with  my  pupils,  and  begged  the  Cardinal 
to  continue  the  lesson  he  had  begun.  But  leaving  the  chair,  he 
courteously  invited  me  to  ascend,  and  commended  to  me  the  ad- 
vancement of  my  pupils  in  literary  studies.  At  the  same  time  I  was 
able  to  recognize,  in  his  always  dignified  smile,  a  gentle  and  quiet 
rebuke  "  This  graceful  anecdote  discovers  (as  our  French  biogra- 
pher remarks;  in  the  austere  prelate,  the  man  of  letters  and  taste, 
and  the  enthusiastic  lover  of  whatever  adorns  humanity. 

Brunelli  is  the  author  of  the  Vita  Letteraria  di  Leone  XIII. 
(40  pp.),  which  serves  as  a  preface  to  the  latest  edition  of  the  Car- 
mina et  Inscriptiones  (Udine,  1893). 

HYMNUS  IN  S.  HERCULANUM  (p.  76.) 

The  hymn  has  been  very  highly  praised  by  several  competent 
critics.  Taking  as  its  subject  a  Patron  of  Perugia,  a  martyred 
Bishop  of  the  early  ages  of  Christianity,  it  appealed  with  special 
force  to  the  interest  and  admiration  of  Cardinal  Pecci's  diocese. 
Perhaps  its  greatest  admirer  was  Bishop  Rotelli,  to  whom  one  of  the 
longer  poems  in  this  collection  (p.  52)  is  dedicated.  From  his  ap- 
preciative criticism  (written  in  1881)  we  learn  that  he  considers  the 
three  poems  in  honor  of  St.  Ilerculanus  and  St.  Constantius  ( "  miei 
santi  vescovi  e  raartiri  perugini"  )  "  three  magnificent  poems,  truly 
worthy  of  the  dignity  of  the  Pope."  He  "read  and  re-read  them, 
analyzed  them,  elaborated  them  into  prose,  subjected  them  to  a  hun- 
dred searching  tests,"  and  found  them  so  untouched  by  the  severest 
criticism  as  to  lead  him  to  the  conclusion  that  their  author  was 
"veramente  un  innografo  sommo."     They  recall  the  golden  age  of 

278 


NOTES 


Leo  X.,  and  will  brook  comparison,  lie  thinks,  with  but  two  hymns 
of  that  age,  those  by  Sannazzaro  in  honor  of  St.  Gaudiosus  and  St. 
Nazarius.     He  quotes  for  special  comment  the  stanza: 

Furens  Getharum  ab  algidis 
Devectus  oris  Totila 
Turrcs  Perusi  et  moenia 
Hoste  obsidebat  barbaro, 

comparing  the  admirable  portraiture  ( '  *  pennelleggiato  a  meravig- 
lia"  )  of  Totila  with  that  of  Plerculanus,  framed  in  these  rapid  and 
energetic  iambics : 

Ardens  et  ore:  "pro  fide 
Pugnate  avita,  filii : 
Dux  ipse  vester:  Numini 
Servate  templa  et  patriam. 

He  quotes  with  approbation  the  penultimate  stanza: 

Laetare  Etrusca  civitas 
Tanta  refu]gens  gloria: 
Attolle  centum  gestiens 
Caput  decorum  turribus ! 

In  a  brief  but  admirably  written  estimate  of  the  Pope's  muse, 
Father  Valle,  S.  J.,  spends  not  a  little  effort  in  analyzing  the  three 
poems.  We  give  in  full  his  treatment  of  this  hymn:  "  Hymnus  s. 
Herculani  est  natura  historicus,  veheraens,  mira  varietate  contextus, 
sive  cum  ob  oculos  ponit  furores  crudelissimi  Totilae  obsidentis  Peru- 
siam,  terroremque  popularium  ab  imminenti  urbis  excidio;  sive  cum 
tierculanum  describit  animo  impavidum,  et  ruentes  in  arma  cives, 
quos  ad  patriae  tutelam  Herculani  vox  excitaverit.  Hinc  diversi 
animorum  motus;  quorum  alii  anxia  quadem  trepidatione  lectorem 
comprimunt,  alii  erigunt  spe  optatissimi  exitus,  qui  egregiam  civium 
audaciam  et  constantiam  secundet.  Nisi  quod  tristi  eventu  subit 
hinc  Perusiae  casus,  quam  non  hostiuni  virtus  prostravit  sed  dolus, 
hinc  Herculani  caedes,  qui  pro  salute  suorum  barbari  regis  acinaci 
praecidendam  cervicem  obtulit.  At  vero  ab  hoc  lugubri  ac  miser- 
ando  rerum  adspectu  raptim  (ut  lyricorum  raos  est)  animum  extoUit 
vates,  oculosque  in  Plerculanum  intendit  iam  sempiterni  aevi  beati- 
tate  potitum;  quos  inde  ad  Perusiam  declinat,  caelitus  beati  noven- 
silis  patrocinium  illi  gratulatur,  hortaturque  ne  ab  invictae  fidei 
documentis,  quae  Herculanus  praebuit,  degeneret." 

279 


NOTES 


S.  CONSTANTIUS— HYMNUS  I  (p.  84). 

Bishop  Rotelli  comments  on  the  fourth  stanza  as  follows:  '■'■Ilyems 
rigescit:  i  monti  (il  Subasio  e  le  lontane  montagne  di  Leonessa  all' 
Oriente  di  Perugia,  gli  appenini  di  Gubbio  a  tramontana)  sono  cop- 
erti  di  neve  ;  aspens  Monies  pruinis  albicant:  il  sole  stesso  viene 
scientificamente  descritto  nella  sua  posizione  zodiacale ;  Solisque 
crines  frigido — Irrorat  imbre  aquarius:  coi  quale  due  elegantissimi 
versi  il  Poeta  evidentemente  ha  voluto  render  latino  I'ardito  concetto 
deir  Alighieri,  la  dove  dice: 

'.;  ■    :  Che  '1  sole  i  crin  1'  Aquario  tempra." 

They  are  indeed  ''elegantissimi  vei-si,"  whether  borrowed  from 
Dante  or  of  universal  appropriation: 

Solisque  crines  frigido 
Irrorat  imbre  Aquarius. 

In  translating  them,  we  have  borrowed  the  equally  elegant  phrase 
(''the  bright-haired  sun " )  of  Collins'  Ode  to  Evening. 

This  hymn  differs  from  the  following  one  on  the  same  theme  (as 
well  as  from  that  on  St.  llerculanus),  in  that  it  is  not  historical  in 
its  treatment.  It  is  a  song  of  triumph,  an  lo  triumphe.  Father  Valle 
thinks  it  should  be  rightly  called  "sacri  epinicii  exemplar  absolutis- 
simum."  And  he  continues:  "Simplex  porro  est  huius  hymni  pro- 
cessus ;  festiva  laetitiae  pompaeque  descriptio,  quam  in  honorem 
caelestis  Patroni  incolae  decunt;  florens  denique  imaginum  species; 
atque  hae  (ut  eminentia  ex  umbris  in  pictura)  pulcrius  renident  ex 
tristi  hyemis  tempestate,  quae  graphice  exprimitur  hac  strophe  : 
Hyems  rigescit,  asperis  .  .  .  Huius  hymni  lectione  animus  dulci 
quodem  pietatis  castaeque  voluptatis  sensu  perfunditur;  quern  sensum 
Auctor  versiculis  ipsis  adeo  feliciter  affavit,  ut  quantum  prioribus 
hymnis  per  maiestatem  carminis  grandia  exaequat,  tantum  hoc  altero 
modestioribus  argumentis  perpoliendis  se  natuni  ostendat." 

S.  CONSTANTIUS— IIYMNUS  II  (p.  88). 

The  second  poem  in  honor  of  the  Saint  condenses  into  a  few 
Sapphic  stanzas  the  details  of  his  sufferings  and  martyrdom.  Tlie 
sequence  of  the  short  narrative  would  easily  lead  one  to  infer  that 
his  trial  was  undergone  at  one  place  and  time.  The  brief  introduc- 
tion in  prose,  however,  indicates  the  variety  both  in  time  and  in 
place.     The  8th  and  10th  stanzas  offer  great  difficulty  in  interpreta- 

280 


NOTES 


tion.  They  seem  to  declare  that  he  was  executed  in  prison,  and 
that  Levianus,  hiding  in  the  shadow  of  its  walls,  awaited  a  favorable 
opportunity  to  take  the  body  away. 

The  BoUandists  {Ada  Sanct.,  Jan.,  T.  II.)  have  three  lives  of 
the  Saint.  All  of  these  give  the  highway  as  the  place  of  his 
martyrdom,  which  resulted  not  from  any  legal  process,  but  from  the 
superstitious  fears  of  the  soldiery  who  were  conducting  him  to 
Spoleto.  He  had  been  seized  thrice,  and  now  being  led  from  prison 
in  Assisi,  passed  with  his  guard  through  Spello  (Plispellum).  This 
town  lies  distant  about  three  miles  from  Foligno.  Somewhere  be- 
tween the  two  places  he  was  martyred.  Here  one  of  the  soldiere 
said:  "  Ne  iste  magus  quern  trahimus  suis  nos  artibus  interficiat  in- 
terimatur  .  .  .  Illico  vibrato  gladio  abstulerunt  caput  eius;  corpore 
vero  dimisso  in  tramite  qui  dicitur  Fulgineato"  {op.  ci7. ,p.  930). 
Another  Vita  has  this:  *' Yenerunt  itaque  in  trivio  Fulgineato,  non 
longe  a  civitate  ipsa  .  .  .  et  decollaverunt  eum,  et  dereliquerunt 
corpus  eius  in  ipso  loco"  (p.  928).  A  foot-note  remarks:  ""  Describit 
hunc  locum  Ludovicus  lacobillius  de  S.  Fulginatibus  pag.  345; 
traditque  agrum  vicinum  vocari  etiamnum  la  Contrada  di  S.  Con- 
stauzo)."  The  third  Vita  has:  "  Cum  igitur  ad  trivium  quoddam 
Fulgineatum  quod  vocant,  non  procul  ab  ipsa  urbe  Fulginea  posi- 
tum,  noctu  pervenissent  .  .  .  strictis  gladiis  in  hominis  iugulum 
invadunt"  (p.  935).  All  of  these  accounts  seem  to  imply  not  a 
prison  but  a  highway. 

But  the  stanzas  ofler  another  difficulty.  What  is  the  meaning  of 
luce  pallenti  ?  Is  it  the  twilight  of  the  dying,  or  of  the  beginning 
day?     Brunelli.  one  of  the  first  translators,  does  not  specify: 

Giace  nel  sangue  esanime  tua  spoglia; 
Ma  vigilando  Levian  pietoso, 
Dell  oscuro  tuo  carcere  la  soglia 
Di  varcar  oso, 

Per  la  queta  raccoglie  omLra  nottuma 
La  membra  sparte. 

The  "queta  ombra  notturna  "  would  serve  either  hypothesis,  and 
can  scarce  be  accounted  a  rendering  of  luce  pallenti.  But  all  the 
"Lives"  speak  of  Levianus  as  having  been  warned  in  sleep  by  an 
angel.  The  twilight  is  therefore  that  of  the  dawning  day.  Bishop 
Rotelli,  in  his  estimate  of  the  poem,  understands  the  wan  light  of 
the  prison  itself :  "  la  pallida  e  incerta  luce  del  carcere  nel  quale  entra 
■Jjuce  pallenti  viyilans  ad  umbi-am." 
281 


NOTES 


Part  of  the  Bishop's  estimate  may  be  quoted  with  interest:  "  La 
lingua  e  purissima:  lo  stile  e  vibrato;  espressivo  I'epiteto,  incisiva 
la  frase,  il  verso  spontaneo." 

AD  SANCTUM  FELICIANUM  (p.  97). 

The  poem  appeared  originally  in  the  Pacse,  a  journal  of  Perugia^ 
and  had  13  stanzas,  the  last  two  being  as  follows  : 

Hinc  sidus  O  tu  tinibiis  Umbriae 
Affulge  amicum!  Fulginiam,  pia 
In  vota  te  patrem  vocautem 
Usque  suum,  bonus  O  tuere! 

IntaminatA  et  sacra  ab  avis  fide 
Tu  nostra  clemens  pectora  robora, 
Quae  nulla  vis  insauientis 
Temporis,  insidiaeve  frangant. 


In  English  : 

Shine  forth  from  out  thy  heaven  afar, 
O'er  Umbria's  fields,  O  friendly  Star; 
Foligno  craves  thy  glory  bright- 
Shine  forth,  O  Beacon-light! 

Strengthen  the  stainless  faith  we  hold 
From  our  ancestral  saints  of  old  : 
Nor  frenzy  wild,  nor  subtle  snare, 
Its  pristine  strength  impair ! 

The  two  stanzas  were  subsequently  condensed  into  the  one  which 
appears  in  our  text.  A  French  journal  reproduced  the  poem  with 
the  comment  that  it  is  "  une  tres  belle  poesie  que  S.  S.  Leon  XIIL 
a  composee  a  1' occasion  de  la  solennite  de  S.  Felicien,  ^veque  de 
Foligno,  dont  la  fete  vient  d'etre  c<^lebrde  le  24  Janvier.  Nous 
sommes  heureux  de  la  reproduire,  car,  en  meme  temps  que  Tex- 
pression  de  la  plus  haute  piete,  il  s'en  d^gage  un  parfuni  classique 
qui  sera,  sans  doute,  un  vrai  r(?gal  pour  les  connaisseurs." 

IN  SACRAM  FAMILL^M  (p.  104). 

In  1893  the  Holy  See  established  a  special  Feast  (the  3rd  Sunday 
after  Epiphany)  in  honor  of  the  Holy  Family,  the  three  hymns  of 
the  Breviary  Office  being  contributed  by  Leo  XIIL  "Les  hymnes 
d'une  haute  et  chr(5tienne  poesie  qui  fi gu rent  dans  1' office  de  cette 
solennitd,  sont  I'oeuvre  de  Sa  Saintetd  elle-meme"  (Do  T'Serclaes, 
Vol.  II. ,  p.  548). 

The  mind  of  the  church  in  the  institution  of  such  a  feast  is  well 
282 


NOTES 


illustrated  both  by  the  moral  contained  in  each  of  these  hymns,  and 
by  the  words  of  Leo  XIII.  when  establishing  a  Pious  Association  in 
honor  of  the  Holy  Family.  The  special  devotion  is  meant  to  meet 
a  special  need  :  "  Every  one  is  aware,"  says  the  Holy  Father  in  his 
Apostolic  Letter,  "  that  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  public  and 
private  life  depends  most  largely  on  the  home.  For  the  deeper  the 
roots  of  virtue  strike  into  that  soil,  and  the  more  alert  parents  are, 
by  word  and  deed,  to  inform  the  souls  of  the  young  with  the  pre- 
cepts of  religion,  the  more  plentiful  are  the  fruits  resulting  to  the 
good  of  society  in  general.  It  is  of  the  highest  importance,  there- 
fore, not  merely  that  domestic  society  should  be  constituted  holily, 
but  as  well  that  it  should  be  governed  by  holy  rules;  and  that  a 
religious  spirit  and  a  Christian  life  should  be  diligently  and  con- 
stantly nourished  in  it.  Therefore  it  was  that  the  merciful  God, 
when  He  had  decreed  to  perfect  the  work  of  Kedemption  which  the 
ages  had  so  long  awaited,  so  ordered  the  work  that  its  first  begin- 
nings should  exhibit  an  august  model  of  a  Family  divinely  consti- 
tuted, in  Avhich  all  men  might  see  an  exemplar  of  every  virtue  and 
holiness.  Such  a  Family  wns  that  at  Nazareth,  in  which  the  Sun  of 
Justice,  ere  He  should  shine  with  full  radiance  on  all  the  nations, 
was  first  hidden;  and  this  Family  comprised  Christ,  the  Lord  God, 
together  with  His  Virgin  Mother,  and  her  most  holy  spouse  Joseph, 
who  was  to  be  the  foster-father  of  Jesus  .  .  .  And  so  all  fathers 
may  see  in  Joseph  a  splendid  norm  of  parental  watchfulness  and 
care ;  mothers  may  perceive  in  the  most  holy  Mother  of  God  an 
admirable  illustration  of  love,  modesty,  obedience  and  perfect  faith- 
fulness; and  children  have  in  Jesus,  Who  ^  was  subject  to  them,'  a 
divine  model  of  obedience  which  they  should  admire,  worship,  and 
imitate."  These  lessons  of  domestic  government  are  but  an  elabo- 
ration of  the  words  of  St.  Paul  (in  his  Epistle  to  the  Colossians) 
which  form  a  part  of  the  "■  second  Lesson"  of  the  Office  for  this 
Feast:  "  Wives,  be  subject  to  your  husbands,  as  it  behooveth,  in  the 
Lord.  Husbands,  love  your  wives,  and  be  not  harsh  towards  them. 
Children,  obey  your  parents  in  all  things;  for  this  is  well  pleasing 
to  the  Lord." 

These  are  the  thoughts  and  principles  inculcated  by  the  Holy 
Father  in  the  hymns.  We  can  not  pass  by  without  special  notice 
the  beautiful  moral  contained  in  one  of  the  last  stanzas  of  the  hymn 
for  Matins: 


283 


NOTES 


O  Blessed  Three!  who  felt  the  sting 
Of  want  and  toil  and  suffering, 
Pity  the  needy  and  obscure 
Lot  of  the  poor. 

In  his  Apostolic  Letter,  the  Pope  calls  attention  to  the  unrest  of 
the  workingmen  of  to-day.  In  an  Encyclical  dealing  with  this  mat- 
ter, he  has  shown  his  deep  sympathy  with  their  cause;  but  when,  or 
in  whatever  <legree,  an  enlightened  agitation  fails  of  its  purpose,  he 
reminds  them  of  the  heavenly  sanction  given  especially  to  their  toils 
and  needs:  "If  workingmen,"  he  says  in  his  letter  from  which  I 
have  been  quoting,  "  and  all  those  who,  especially  in  our  times,  feel 
grievously  afflicted  at  their  humble  condition  and  the  straitened  cir- 
cumstances of  those  dependent  on  them,  will  but  glance  at  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Holy  Family,  there  will  not  be  wanting  reasons  why  they 
should  rather  rejoice  than  be  grieved  at  their  lot.  They  share  with 
that  sacred  Family  in  toil  and  in  the  cares  of  daily  life;  Joseph  was 
bound  to  provide  for  its  subsistence  from  the  wages  of  his  labor;  nay, 
even  the  hands  of  the  God-Man  were  exercised  in  a  workshop." 

This  is  the  lesson  of  contentment  to  be  derived  from  a  contempla- 
tion of  the  House  of  Nazareth.  But  another  lesson  may  be  found 
equally  suitable  for  those  who  are  blessed  by  fortune.  The  Holy 
Father  prays  the  sacred  Three  to 

Banish  the  "  pride  of  life"  from  all 
Whom  ampler  wealth  and  joys  befall. 

And  this  is  but  a  poetical  version  of  his  own  words  in  the  Letter: 
*•'  Qui  nobiles  nati  sunt,  discent  a  Familia  regii  sanguinis  quomodo 
et  in  edita  fortuna  se  tempereut,  et  in  afflicta  retineant  dignitatem: 
qui  dites  noscent  ab  ea  quantum  sint  virtutibus  posthabendae  divi- 
tiae."  The  noble  are  reminded  of  the  royal  blood  of  that  lowly 
Household;  and  the  wealthy,  that  virtue  is  to  be  preferred  to  riches. 
Thus  this  devotion  to  the  Holy  Family  includes  in  its  scope  the  ex- 
tremest  stations  of  life — poverty  and  lowliness,  wealth  and  nobility. 
These  lessons  are  sorely  needed  in  our  times;  and  the  hymns,  like 
the  Feast  whose  office  they  serve  to  adorn,  wliile  they  are  indeed  ex- 
quisite in  their  Christian  thought  and  classic  phrase,  possess  even  a 
higlier  value  as  prayers  than  as  poems. 

TWO  FOUNTAINS  (p.  142). 
While  many  a  Pope  has  been  literally  a  "  Pontifex  Maximus," 
the  long  line  of  the  Papacy  has  splendidly  preserved  the  architec- 

284 


NOTES 


tural  and  engineering  tastes  of  the  older  Empire  of  the  Romans. 
Leo  XIII.  manifested  throughout  his  whole  life  a  similar  activity, 
which  might  well  have  been  construed  into  a  prophetic  admonition 
of  his  future  incumbency  of  the  Chair  of  Peter.  Apropos  of  these 
two  poems,  I  extract  from  Mgr.  T'Serclaes'  "  Le  Pope  Leon  XIII." 
(Vol.  I.  p.  17),  an  interesting  account  of  his  benefactions  to  his 
natal  town  of  Carpineto: 

"  Jadis  Carpineto  soufTrait  d'une  disette  d'eau  presque  habituelle. 
Aujourd'hui,  cette  calamity  n'est  plus  a  craindre.  Deja  ^tant  6ve- 
que  de  Perouse,  Joachim  Pecci  avait  essay e  de  fournir  I'eau  a  son 
pays  natal  en  faisant  capter  une  source  voisine,  qui  malheureusement 
se  tarit  bientot.  Devenu  pape,  Leon  XIII.  recommen^a  I'entreprise 
sur  nouveaux  frais.  L'ingenieur  Olivieri  fut  charg^  de  ce  travail. 
II  amena  a  Carpineto  les  eaux  de  source  du  mont  Carpino,  situe  au 
sud-est  du  bourg  a  une  distance  de  cinq  kilometres.  La  montagne, 
compos^e  de  roche  calcaire  fort  dure,  fut  entamee  au  moyen  de  la 
dynamite.  On  y  creusa  deux  galeries,  I'une  de  400,  I' autre  de  SO 
metres.  Les  travaux  mirent  au  jour  une  caverne  longue  de  100 
metres  oil  I'on  decouvrit  une  nouvelle  source.  Les  eaux  de  celle-ci 
et  des  sources  connues  anterieurement  furent  emmagasinees  dans 
cinq  grands  reservoirs,  echelonn^s  I'un  au-dessous  de  1' autre  et  cap- 
ables  de  contenir  environ  7,000  metres  cubes  d'eau.  Une  disposi- 
tion ingenieuse  permet  de  regler  le  debit  de  1'  eau  suivant  sa  plus  ou 
moins  grande  abondance,  si  bien  que,  meme  pendant  les  trois  mois 
de  grande  secheresse,  chaque  famille  de  Carpineto  peut  compter  sur 
une  consommation  journaliere  de  cent  onze  litres,  sans  compter  tout 
ee  qui  est  utilise  pour  les  usages  agricoles.  Deux  gracieuses  fon- 
taines,  I'une  sur  la  place  publique  de  Carpineto  devant  I'eglise  col- 
legiale,  1' autre  devant  le  palais  Pecci,  versent  avec  abondance  leur 
eau  saine  et  limpide  aux  habitans  du  pays.  Elles  dont  decorees 
d' inscriptions  latines  composees  par  le  Souverain-Pontife.  Voici 
celle  qu'on  lit  sur  la  fontaine  de  la  place  publique: 

"  Fens  ego,  decurrens,  nitidis  argenteus  undis 
Quern  cupide  irriguum  florea  prata  bibant. 
At  non  prata  bibent,  cives,  me  florea ;  vestras 
Gratius  est  largo  spargere  rore  domos,  —Leo  XIII.' 

For  this  long  extract  made  apropos  of  a  very  brief  poem,  I  must 
offer  the  same  apology  as  that  of  the  writer  just  quoted:  "Nous 
nous  sommes  ^tendus  sur  ces  travaux  hydrauliques,  r^ellement  re- 

285 


NOTES 


marquables  d'ailleurs,  par  ce  qn'ils  sont  un  immense  bienfait  de 
L^on  XIII.  envei*s  ses  compatriotes." 
The  second,  and  much  longer  poem: 

Difficilem  ciirsum,  longosque  emensa  viarum 
Tractus,  Carpineis  hue  feror  unda  iugis  .  .   . 

appears  to  be  an  emendation  and  elaboration  of  a  shorter,  but  very 
beautiful,  poem  on  the  same  theme.  It  should  prove  interesting  to 
give  it  here  in  its  original  form: 

FoNS  Loquitur. 
Leniter  exiliens  Pandulphi  e  colle  sui)erno, 
Hue  e  nativis  deferor  unda  iugis. 

Nam  qui  roinani  loachimus  Peecius  ostri 
Primus  natale  hoc  auxit  houore  solum, 

Per  caecos  terrae,  plumho  ducente,  meatus 
Oblitam  patriae  me  iubet  ire  viam. 

Improvisa  quideni,  sed  gratior  advena  vobis 
Ultro,  municipes,  Candida,  inempta  fluo. 

IIuc  ergo,  properate :  adsum  nam  sacra  saluti, 
Munditiae,  vitaeque  usibus  et  charisin. 

( Translation. ) 
The  Fountain  Speaks. 
A  gushing  stream,  forth  of  my  olden  yoke 
On  Paiidulph's  hill  I  broke ; 

For  Pecci,  Avho  in  Roman  purple  clad 
His  natal  soil  makes  glad, 

Hath  led  me  hither,  mindless  of  my  birth, 
Through  darkest  ways  of  earth. 

More  welcome  am  I,  cits,  as  unforeseen, 
Unpurchased,  cool,  and  clean. 

Come  I  I  am  dedicate  to  cleanly  health, 
To  i)0verty,  to  wealth ! 

It  may  well  be  doubted  if  the  pleasant  simplicity  and  directness 
of  this  previous  poem  have  not  disappeared  somewhat  in  the  pomp 
and  circumstance  of  its  elaborated  criiendallon.  It  is,  we  think,  an 
exquisite  idea  exquisitely  carried  out.  The  technique  is  worthy  of 
the  inspiration.  A  foot-note  attached  to  it  (in  the  edition  of  the 
Carmina  published  in  1888)  remarks:  "  Aquain  saluberrimi  haustus 
Carpinetum  adducendam  curavit  an.  MDCCCLXIV." 

James  Kussell  Lowell  treated  a  similar  theme  in  his  "  Ode  Writ- 
280 


NOTES 


ten  for  the  Celebration  of  the  Introduction  of  the  Cochituate  Water 
into  the  City  of  Boston."  In  several  stanzas  the  thought  and  ex- 
pression run  on  parallel  lines: 

Per  caecos  terrae,  plumbo  ducente,  meatus 
Oblitam  patriae  me  iubet  ire  viam 


is  not  unlike  Lowell's 


My  name  is  Water :  I  have  sped 
Through  strange,  dark  ways,  untried  before; 


while  the  last  couplet: 

Hue  ergo  properate :  adsum  nam  sacra  saluti, 
Munditiae,  vitaeque  usibus  et  charisin, 

is  quite  the  same  thought  as  Lowell's 

For  countless  services  I'm  fit, 
Of  use,  of  pleasure,  and  of  gain. 

AD  B.  V.  MAKIAM  PKECATIONES  (p.  148). 

The  text  followed  for  both  of  these  poems  is  that  of  the  Udine  edi- 
tion of  1893.  In  1896  an  edition  de  luxe  of  the  Pope's  (nine)  poems 
in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  appeared  from  the  press  of  Desclde, 
Lef  evre  et  Cie. ,,  Rome,  with  the  title  Leonis  XIIL  In  MaHam  Vir- 
ginem  Flosculi.     The  variations  in  the  texts  are  here  noted : 


Horrida  monstra  furens  ex  Acheron te  vomit  (1893) 
Horrida  monstra  furens  evomit  ex  Erebo  (1896). 

Tu  mihi  virtutem,  robur  et  adde  novum  (1893) 
Tu  mihi  virtutem  suffice  magnanimam  (1896). 


Si  mens  sollicitis  icta  eupidinibus  (1893) 
Si  mens  sollicitis  acta  eupidinibus  (1896). 

Si  natum  aei-umnis  videris  usque  premi  (1893) 
Si  natum  aerumnis  videris  implicitum  (1896). 

Detruso  stygii  daemone  ad  ima  lacus  (1893) 
Detruso  in  sedes  daemone  tartareas  (1896). 

Lumina  lessa  manu  moll  iter  ipsa  tege  (1893) 
Lumina  conde  pia  molliter  ipsa  manu  (1896). 

As  a  sort  of  preface  to  his  Encyclical  (1892)  on  the  Marian  Ros- 
ary, Leo  XIII.  confesses  to  the  tender  devotion  which ,  in  his  very 

287 


NOTES 


infancy,  he  Lad  cherished  towards  the  Blessed  Virgin;  and  to  the 
fact  that,  as  years  passed,  he  beheld  more  clearly  the  love  and  honor 
which  are  due  to  her  "  whom  God  was  the  first  to  love  and  to  favor, 
yea,  to  love  in  such  wise  that  she  was  the  one  whom,  elevated  above 
all  the  rest  of  creation  and  adorned  with  amplest  gifts,  He  chose  to 
be  His  Mother."  His  words  are  so  beautiful  in  themselves,  and 
serve  so  well  to  introduce  his  poems  entitled  Flosculi  ("  little  flow- 
ers"), that  space  is  made  here  for  a  brief  quotation:  "  Magnae  Dei 
Matris  amorem  et  cultum  quoties  ex  occasione  liceat  excitare  in 
christiano  populo  et  augere,  toties  Nos  mirifica  voluptate  et  laetitia 
perfundimur,  tanquam  de  ea  re  quae  non  solum  per  se  ipsa  praestan- 
tissima  est  multisque  modis  frugifera,  sed  etiam  cum  intimo  animi 
Nostri  sensu  suavissime  concinit.  Sancta  nimirum  erga  Mariam 
pietas,  semel  ut  paene  cum  lacte  suximus,  crescente  aetate,  succrevit 
alacris  valuitque  in  animo  firmius:  eo  namque  illustrius  menti  ap- 
parebat  quanto  ilia  esset  et  amore  et  honore  digna,  quam  Deus  ipse 
amavit  et  dilexit  primus,  atque  ita  dilexit,  ut  unam  ex  universitate 
rerum  sublimius  evectam  amplissimisque  ornatam  rauneribus  sibi 
adjunxerit  matrem." 

PARAPHRASES. 
Througliout  the  Paraphrases  the  Pope  plays  on  the  word 
"  Rosary,"  comparing  the  devotion  now  to  a  basket  of  flowers 
offered  at  the  shrine  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  now  to  a  wreath  of 
roses,  a  chaplet,  a  crown,  etc.,  woven  for  the  brow  of  the  heavenly 
"Queen  of  the  May."  How  the  devotion  came  to  be  styled  the 
' '  Rosary  "  is  a  matter  of  dispute  amongst  the  learned.  The  Cath- 
olic Dictionary  of  Addis  and  Arnold  remarks:  *'  The  original  mean- 
ing is  very  doubtful.  We  think  it  most  likely  that  the  word  was 
used  in  a  mystical  sense  and  meant  Mary's  rose-garden.  (So  the 
writer  of  the  article  Rosenkranz  in  Herzog,  '  Encycl.  fiir  Protestant. 
Tlieol.')  "  Not  an  unlikely  hypothesis,  whose  mystical  significance 
might  have  been  further  illustrated  by  the  title  of  "  Rosa  Mystica" 
in  the  Litany  of  Loretto,  and  the  "Rose  of  Sharon"  as  a  poetical 
appellation.  The  words  with  which  Wisdom  exalts  herself  are 
applied  mystically  to  the  Blessed  Virgin:  *'I  was  exalted  ...  as 
a  rose-plant  in  Jericho"  (Eccl.  xxiv.  18).  In  somewhat  similar 
fashion,  attribution  is  made  of  the  glory  of  Simon  the  high-priest 
(i6.  1.  8):  "as  the  flower  of  roses  fflos  rosarum)  in  the  days  of 
spring,"  and  the  praise  of  the  just  (?6.,  xxxix.  17):  "as  the  rose 
planted  by  the  brooks  of  waters." 


NOTES 


In  the  Paraphrases  the  Kosary  is  also  called  "sertum,"  "rosea 
corolla."  Anciently  it  was  styled  "  Psalterium  Marianum,"  in 
imitation  of  the  150  Psalms.  Alanus  Kupensis  assigns  five  reasons 
why  it  should  be  called  Psalterium  rather  than  Eosarium,  Corona, 
or  Sertum.  His  second  argument  is  :  "  Secundo,  vocabula  corona, 
ROSARIUM,  SERTUM  metaphorica  sunt,  ex  similitudine  dicta ;  psal- 
terium vero  a  psallendis  Deo  laudibus  nomen  habens,  proprie  est 
oratio'  (apud  Acta  Sand.,  Aug.,  T.  I.,  p.  423,  where  an  elaborate 
historical  treatment  of  the  devotion  is  given,  pp.  422-437). 

The  first  line  of  the  fourth  Paraphrase  mentions  the  name  of 
Gusman,  i.  e.,  St.  Dominic,  who,  about  the  year  1208,  is  said  to 
have  introduced  the  Eosary  in  its  present  form.  He  was  born,  in 
1170,  at  Callaruega  (Calahorra,  in  Old  Castile),  of  the  powerful 
house  of  Gusman. 

In  the  following  poem,  *'Adiutrici  Christianorum,"  he  is  re- 
ferred to  : 

Adtuit  at  Virgo :  mentis,  pietate  verendum 
Finibus  hispanis  advocat  ipsa  Virum. 

ADIUTEICI  CHEISTIAXOEUM-ELEGIA. 

The  title  "  Help  of  Christians"  (Auxilium  Christianorum)  was 
inserted  in  the  Litany  of  Loretto  by  St.  Pius  V.,  after  the  marvel- 
ous victory  of  Lepanto.  In  his  devotional  and  historical  treatment 
of  this  Title,  Barthe  {Litanies,  etc.,  pp.  185-7)  gives  a  number  of 
illustrations  of  the  heavenly  protection  afforded  by  the  Blessed 
Virgin.  Amongst  them  he  cites  that  of  Pius  VII.  over  Napoleon, 
a  moral  victory  which  is  commemorated  by  a  special  Feast  ordered 
by  that  Pontiff"  to  be  celebrated  on  the  24th  of  May  (the  day  of  his 
entry  into  Eome),  in  honor  of  the  Auxilium  Christianorum. 

Leo  XIII.  cites  in  his  poem  two  illustrious  instances  of  the  help 
of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  namely,  the  labors  of  St.  Dominic  in  spread- 
ing the  devotion  of  the  Eosary  among  the  Albigenses,  and  the 
splendid  victory  of  the  Christian  fleet  over  the  Turks  near  the 
Echinades  islands.  Lines  5-18  celebrate  the  former;  lines  19-54 
the  latter. 

Besides  the  vindication  of  St.  Dominic  made  by  Lacordaire,  a 
very  excellent  biography  by  Archbishop  Alemany  tells  with  great 
clearness  and  moderation  the  part  taken  by  him  in  the  matter  of  the 
Albigenses.  This  is  not,  however,  the  place  to  enter  upon  hotly 
disputed  matters;  and  the  allusion  to  St.  Dominic  suggests  merely 

289 


NOTES 


an  interesting  quotation  illustrative  of  the  poem:  "  There  remains 
yet  one  more  particular  to  be  mentioned  about  the  Albigenses  .  .  . 
that  the  beautiful  devotion  of  the  Rosary  began  at  this  time,  and 
owes  its  origin  to  this  very  heresy.  The  Rosary  is,  as  you  know,  in 
an  especial  manner,  a  devotion  in  honor  of  our  Lord's  Incarnation; 
and  I  have  already  told  you  that  the  Albigenses  denied  this  doctrine. 
They  believed  that  our  bodies  and  all  matter  were  evil;  they  could 
not  believe,  therefore,  that  the  Son  of  an  all-good  and  all-holy  God 
had  taken  upon  himself  a  material  body  of  flesh  and  blood  like  unto 
ours.  They  chose  rather  to  say  that  He  had  taken  only  the  semb- 
lance, or  appearance,  of  a  human  body;  so  that  He  had  not  really 
been  born  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  nor  really  died  upon  the 
Cross,  nor  really  risen  from  the  dead,  nor  really  ascended  into 
heaven.  When,  therefore,  the  holy  St.  Dominic  came  to  labor 
among  these  miserable  heretics,  and  wished  both  to  reclaim  those 
who  had  been  already  deceived,  and  to  confirm  in  the  true  faith 
those  souls  that  had  not  yet  been  corrupted,  he  instituted  this  form 
of  prayer,  in  which  the  whole  history  of  our  Lord's  life,  passion, 
and  resurrection,  is  brought  before  our  minds,  to  be  thought  about 
and  meditated  upon  in  prayer  by  means  of  what  are  called  the  joy- 
ful, sorrowful,  and  glorious  mysteries.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  but 
that  the  practices  of  frequently  reciting  Our  Father  and  the  Hail 
Mary,  and  of  counting  the  number  of  prayers  by  means  of  stones, 
beads,  or  other  such  marks,  were  far  more  ancient  than  the  days  of 
St.  Dominic;  but  the  union  of  these  two  practices  in  that  particular 
form  which  we  still  use,  and  which  we  call  the  Rosary,  was  certainly 
first  made  by  him,  and  for  the  purpose  we  have  mentioned,  viz., 
deeply  to  impress  upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  people  the  great 
fundamental  truth  of  Christianity,  '  God  made  man.'  It  was,  in 
fact,  an  abridgment  of  the  whole  Gospel  history— the  sum  and  sub- 
stance of  the  Gospel  put  into  a  short  and  simple  form,  which  even 
the  poorest  and  most  ignorant  could  frequently  repeat  and  easily  re- 
member: nor  can  we  doubt  that  it  was  by  a  special  inspiration  from 
heaven  that  St.  Dominic  was  led  to  establish  a  devotion  which  has 
become  so  universal  in  the  Church,  and  which  has  been  so  abund- 
antly blessed  to  the  instruction  and  salvation  of  souls"  (Points  of 
History^  p.  Dii). 

It  is  but  proper  to  say  that  the  ascription  to  St.  Dominic  of  the 
institution  of  the  Rosary,  and  of  the  practice  of  meditating  on  the 
Mysteries  during  its  recitation,  have  been  questioned  by  Catholic 

290 


NOTES 


writers.  A  very  elaborate  discussion  of  these  questions  may  be 
fovmd  in  the  Acta  Sanctorum  (Aug.,  T.  I.).  In  quoting  as  we  have 
done,  in  order  to  illustrate  the  poems,  we  do  not  pretend  to  pass  any 
judgment  on  the  questions  in  dispute,  but  have  endeavored  merely 
to  make  the  historical  allusions  clear. 

The  second  instance  of  the  assistance  rendered  by  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  namely,  at  the  battle  of  Lepanto,  is  worthy  of  greater  space 
than  may  be  accorded  it  in  our  comments.  The  battle  deserves  to 
be  ranked  among  the  decisive  battles  of  the  world.  It  '  *  arrested 
forever  the  danger  of  Mahometan  invasion  in  the  south  of  Europe," 
says  Alison.  St.  Pius  V.,  of  whom  Eanke  has  left  us  such  a  glow- 
ing portrait,  was  then  in  the  Chair  of  Peter  (157]).  "  It  is  not  to 
be  supposed,"  says  Cardinal  Kewman  {The  Turks,  iii,  I  6),  '"'that 
a  Saint  on  whom  lay  the  '  solicitude  of  all  the  churches/  should 
neglect  the  tradition  which  his  predecessors  of  so  many  centuries 
had  bequeathed  to  him,  of  zeal  and  hostility  against  the  Turkish 
power.  He  was  only  sis  years  on  the  pontifical  throne,  and  the 
achievement  of  which  I  am  going  to  speak  v/as  among  his  last;  he 
died  the  following  year.  At  this  time  the  Ottoman  armies  were 
continuing  their  course  of  victory;  they  had  just  taken  Cyprus,  with 
the  active  cooperation  of  the  Greek  population  of  the  island,  and 
were  massacring  the  Latin  nobility  and  clergy,  and  mutilating  and 
flaying  alive  the  Venetian  governor.  Yet  the  Saint  found  it  im- 
possible to  move  Christendom  to  its  own  defence.  How,  indeed, 
was  that  to  be  done,  when  half  Christendom  had  become  Protestant, 
and  secretly  perhaps  felt  as  the  Greeks  felt,  that  the  Turk  was  its 
friend  and  ally  ?  In  such  a  quarrel  England,  France  and  Germany, 
were  out  of  the  question.  At  length,  however,  with  great  effort  he 
succeeded  in  foaming  a  holy  league  between  himself,  King  Philip  of 
Spain,  and  the  Venetians  .  .  .  Meanwhile,  the  Ottomans  were  scour- 
ing the  Gulf  of  Venice,  blockading  the  ports,  and  terrifying  the 
city  itself.  But  the  holy  Pope  was  securing  the  success  of  his  cause 
by  arms  of  his  OAvn,  which  the  Turks  understood  not.  He  had  been 
appointing  a  Triduo  of  supplication  at  Rome,  and  had  taken  part  in 
the  procession  himself.  He  had  proclaimed  a  jubilee  to  the  whole 
Christian  world  for  the  happy  issue  of  the  war.  He  had  been  in- 
teresting the  Holy  Virgin  in  his  cause.  He  presented  to  his  ad- 
miral, after  high  mass  in  his  chapel,  a  standard  of  red  damask, 
embroidered  with  a  crucifix,  and  with  the  figures  of  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Paul,  and  the  legend,  •■  In  hoc  signo  vinces'  .    .    .  Accordingly, 

201 


NOTES 


a  fast  of  three  clays  was  proclaimed  for  the  fleet,  beginning  with  the 
Nativity  of  our  Lady  (Sept.  8)  .  .  .At  length,  on  the  seventh  of 
October,  they  found  the  Turkish  fleet  half  way  between  Lepanto  and 
the  Echinades  on  the  Korth,  and  Patras,  in  the  Morea,  on  the  South. 
.  .  .  The  night  before  the  battle,  and  the  day  itself,  aged  as  he 
was,  and  broken  with  a  cruel  malady,  the  Saint  had  passed  in  the 
Vatican  in  fasting  and  prayer.  All  through  the  Holy  City  the 
monasteries  and  the  colleges  were  in  prayer  also.  As  the  evening 
advanced  the  pontifical  treasurer  asked  an  audience  of  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff  on  an  important  matter.  Pius  was  in  his  bedroom,  and  be- 
gan to  converse  with  him,  when  suddenly  he  stopped  the  conversa- 
tion, left  him,  threw  open  the  window  and  gazed  up  into  heaven. 
Then  closing  it  again,  he  looked  gravely  at  his  official,  and  said 
'  This  is  no  time  for  business;  go,  return  thanks  to  the  Lord  God. 
In  this  very  hour  our  fleet  has  engaged  the  Turks,  and  is  victorious.' 
As  tlie  treasurer  went  out,  he  saw  him  fall  on  his  knees  before  the 
altar  in  thankfulness  and  joy.  And  a  most  memorable  victory  it 
was:  upwards  of  30,000  Turks  are  said  to  have  lost  their  lives  in  the 
engagement,  and  3,500  were  made  prisoners.  Almost  their  whole 
fleet  was  taken.  I  quote  from  Protestant  authorities  when  I  say 
that  the  Sultan,  on  the  news  of  the  calamity,  neither  ate,  nor  drank, 
nor  showed  himself,  nor  saw  any  one  for  three  days;  that  it  was  the 
greatest  blow  which  the  Ottomans  had  had  since  Timour's  victory 
over  Bajazet,  a  century  and  a  half  before;  nay,  that  it  was  the  turn- 
ing-point in  the  Turkish  history,  and  that,  though  the  Sultans  have 
had  isolated  successes  since,  yet  from  that  day  they  undeniably  and 
constantly  declined;  that  they  have  lost  their  prestige  and  their  self- 
confidence,  and  that  the  victories  gained  over  them  since  are  but  the 
complements  and  reverberations  of  the  overthrow  at  Lepanto." 

Tlie  Breviary,  in  the  5th  Lesson  of  the  P'east  (Fest.  SS.  Eosarii) 
associates  this  victory  with  the  Rosary:  "  Nam  cum  ilia  ipsa  die 
victoria  relata  sit,  qua  die  sanctissimi  Eosarii  sodalitates  per  univer- 
sum  orbem  consuetas  supplicationes  peragerent,  statutasque  preces 
de  more  funderent,  iis  precibus  baud  immerito  refertur  accepta." 

The  poem  recalls  the  prophetic  promise  of  victory,  made  by  Pius 
to  his  admiral: 

Mirinn  ex  hoste  triuniphum 
Fatidico  edixit  praesciuni  ore  Pius. 

Eohrbacher  refers  to  this  in  his  history  (Vol.  12,  p.  739):  "II 
[sc.  Pius  v.]  manda  au  g^ndralissime  que  1' unique  moyen  de  salut 

292 


XOTES 


^tait  une  bataille  ;  il  Ini  predisait  la  victoire,  mais  en  lui  recom- 
mandant  de  s'y  preparer  cliretiennement  et  de  renvoyer  de  son  armee 
tons  les  gens  de  man vaise  vie."  The  vision  of  the  triumph  subse- 
quently vouchsafed  to  the  Pope  agreed  with  the  event:  "  Tous  en- 
semble noterent  le  jour  et  Theure  de  la  vision  du  Saint-Pere;  7  oc- 
tobre,  cinquieme  heure  apres  midi.  C'etait  bien  I'heure  ou  triom- 
phait  la  croix  dans  le  golf  de  Lepante  "  {ib.,  p.  740). 

In  his  encyclical  for  October,  1895,  the  Pope  speaks  of  the  project 
of  erecting  at  Patras,  on  the  Gulf  of  Lepanto,  a  basilica  in  honor  of 
Our  Lady  of  Victory,  to  stand  as  a  perpetual  memorial  of  gratitude 
and  veneration:  '' lUud  spectamus  propositum  .  .  .  quod  in  per- 
nobili  Conventu  eucharistico,  Hierosolymis  acto,  initium  duxit, 
templi  videlicet  exaedificandi  in  honorem  Eeginae  sacratissimi  Eos- 
arii;  idque  Patrae  in  Achaia,  non  procul  a  locis  ubi  olim  nomen 
christianum.  ea  auspice,  eluxit.  Ut  enim  a  Consilio  quod  rei  pro- 
vehendae  curandoque  operi.  probantibus  Nobis,  constitutum  est, 
perlibentes  accepimus,  iam  plerique  vestrum  rogati,  collaticiam  sti- 
pem  omni  diligentia  in  id  submiserunt;  etiam  polliciti,  se  deinceps 
non  dissimiliter  adfore  usque  ad  operis  perfectionem.  Ex  quo  satis 
iam  est  consultum,  ut  ad  molitionem  quae  amplitudini  rei  conveniat, 
aggredi  iiceat:  factaque  est  a  Nobis  potestas  ut  propediem  auspicalis 
templi  lapis  sollemnibus  caeremoniis  ponatur.  Stabit  templum, 
nomine  christiani  populi,  mouumentum  perennis  gratiae  Adiutrici 
et  Matri  caelesti;  quae  ibi  et  latino  et  graeco  ritu  assidue  invocabi- 
tur,  et  Vetera  beneficia  novis  usque  velit  praesentior  cumulare." 
His  Eminence  Cardinal  Parocchi  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  Com- 
mission having  the  work  in  charge.  The  basilica,  with  convents 
and  schools  attached,  will  be  a  noble  memorial  and  monument. 

IX  OBITU  JOSEPHI  PECCL 

Cardinal  Joseph  Pecci,  brother  of  the  Pope  died  iii  the  year  1890. 
His  life  had  been  devoted  to  the  study  of  philosophy.  He  taught 
this  branch  at  the  seminary  of  Perugia,  until  nominated  by  Pius  IX. 
to  the  chair  of  philosophy  in  the  Eoman  University.  He  took  part 
in  the  work  of  several  philosophical  and  theological  Commissions 
which  prepared  matter  for  the  deliberations  of  the  Vatican  Council. 
After  the  capture  of  Eome,  he  refused  to  take  the  oath  of  loyalty 
exacted  by  the  new  government  from  professors  of  the  universities, 
and  was  in  consequence  compelled  to  resign.  He  contined,  how- 
ever, to  give  lectures  in  philosophy  at   the  Institute  for  Higher 

293 


NOTES 


Studies  founded  by  Pius  IX.  to  replace  the  secularized  Eoman  Uni- 
versity. Mgr.  de  T'Serclaes  (I.,  p.  522),  from  whom  I  have  taken 
these  details,  adds  a  pathetic  incident  of  the  illness  which  shortly 
preceded  his  death.  Experiencing  in  1S88  a  first  attack  of  apoplexy, 
he  detached  himself  more  and  more  from  the  things  of  the  world. 
He  collected  an  immense  mass  of  manuscripts,  the  fruits  of  his  long 
years  of  study,  and  commanded  that  they  should  be  burnt.  Seeing 
the  flames  devour  in  a  moment  the  product  of  labors  so  prolonged, 
he  was  momentarily  troubled,  but  immediately  regained  his  cheer- 
fulness, and  with  his  own  hands  fanned  the  flames.  Some  one  re- 
proached him  for  having  thus  caused  an  irreparable  loss  to  the  study 
of  Christian  philosophy.  "I  have  formed  disciples,"  he  replied, 
"  who  will  expound  my  views  better  than  myself."  Neveitheless, 
we  cannot  but  regret  (adds  the  writer  I  quote),  the  destruction  of 
these  manuscripts.  They  comprised  very  important  works;  amongst 
others,  a  critical  history  of  the  modern  systems  of  philosophy. 

Cardinal  Joseph  Pecci  died  on  the  8th  of  February,  1890,  having 
received  in  perfect  consciousness  the  sacraments  of  Holy  Church. 

"  Sa  mort  fut  un  coup  douloureux  pour  Leon  XIII,  qui  avait  tou- 
jours  port^  a  son  frere  Joseph  I'afiection  la  plus  tendre.  II  exhala 
sa  douleur  dans  une  touchante  elegie  en  vers  latins.  Les  deux 
freres  y  sont  repr^sentcs  ^changeant  par-dela  le  tombeau  les  efl[usions 
de  leur  sentiments  aflectueux.  Joseph  encourage  Joachim  du  haut 
du  ciel  et  1' engage  a  se  preparer  a  la  mort  en  pleurant  ses  pech^s. 
Joachim,  du  sein  des  flots  agites  du  monde,  promet  d'ob^ir  a  ses 
paroles  et  implore  son  secours.  Ce  dialogue  est  un  petit  chef-d'oeuvre 
de  pofeie  mystique  et  de  sentiment  "  {I.  c). 

The  text  is  an  emendation  of  a  previous  draft  appearing  in  an 
Italian  journal.     It  should  be  interesting  to  note  the  emendations: 

Joseph. 
lustitiae  factum  satis  est;  admissa  piavi  (1st) 
lustitiae  factum  satis  est;  poenisque  solutum  (2d). 

Numine  propitio  tibi  sint  cum  fenore  multo 
Felices  initi  pro  relligioue  labores  (1st) 
Sic  tibi  felices,  largo  sic  fenore  digni 
Sint  initi  sancta  pro  relligioue  labores  (2d). 

JOACHIiM. 

Enitar  gemitu  lacrimisque  abstcrgere  culiias  (1st) 
Inccnsa  ex  imo  ducens  suspiria  corde 
Ploratu  maculas  delere  enitar  amaro  (2d). 

294 


\ 


NOTES 


Both  poems  are  liighly  praised  for  their  affcctionateness,  brevity 
and  classical  finish. 

AD  SODALES  AKCADICOS. 

The  "Arcadia"  was  founded  in  Home  in  1690.  Tiraboschi 
{Storia  della  Lett.  ItaL,  T.  VIII,  lib.  1)  notices  the  many  "  academ- 
ies" founded  in  Italy  in  the  17th  century.  Of  those  flourishing  in 
Rome,  he  mentions  some  of  greater  or  lesser  prominence,  passes 
over  in  silence  those  which  left  behind  them  no  printed  monuments 
other  than  their  names,  and  comes  down  to  speak  at  some  length  of 
the  "Arcadia,"  of  which,  in  after  years,  he  himself  became  a  mem- 
ber: "  Di  piu  distinta  e  piii  onorevol  menzione  sarebbe  degna 
r  Arcadia  fondata  in  Roma  nel  1690,  perciocche  il  fine,  che  questa 
illustre  adunanze  si  prefisse,  basterebbe  esso  solo  a  renderne  memora- 
bile  e  glorioso  il  nome."  The  great  purpose  on  which  he  compli- 
ments the  Arcadia,  v/as  to  wage  war  on  the  had  taste  (il  pessimo 
gusto)  prevailing  over  nearly  all  of  Italy,  and  to  bring  Poetry  back 
to  the  path  from  which  she  had  wandered  far.  With  the  great 
names  connected  with  its  foundation  we  have  no  present  concern. 
It  was  made  immortal  afterwards  by  the  names  of  Metastasio,  Parini, 
Alfieri,  m.entioned  or  referred  to  by  Leo  XIII.  in  this  poem. 

"  Arcadia"  was  a  happy  and  significant  name  for  the  new  society. 
Its  pastoral  simplicity  challenged  the  other  fantastic  titles,  "come 
quelle  de'  Parteni,  de'  Malincolici,  degli  Intricati,  degli  Uniformi, 
de'  Delfici,  de'  Fantastici,  de'  Negletti,  degli  Infecondi,"  etc. 

Virgil  had  made  Arcady  his  own  in  the  Bucolics,  and  Horace  had 
delicately  acknowledged  the  fact  by  the  close  connection  he  makes 
between  the  names  (Od.  iv,  12): 

Dicunt  in  tenero  gramine  pinguiuiu 
Custodes  ovium  carmina  fistula, 
Pelectantque  deum,  cui  pecus  et  nigri 
Colles  Arcadiae  placent. 

"Beside-liis  full-fed  sheep,  the  swain 
In  tender  grass,  indites  the  strain, 
And  charms  the  god,  that  loves  to  see 
The  dusky  hills  of  Arcady. ' '  —  Gladstone's  transL 

The  muse  was  indeed  to  return  to  Arcadian  simplicity;  but  the 
simplicity  was  to  be  ennobled  by  art  and  classicism.  The  Arcades 
ambo  of  Virgil  did  not  mean,  as  we  mistranslate  it  nowadays,  "  both 
sweet  innocents"  or  "fools  alike;"  but 

295 


NOTES 


Et  cantare  pares,  et  respondere  parati  {Eel.,  vii); 

or  as  the  Pope's  poem  quotes  (Eel.,  x,  32): 

Soli  cantare  periti 
Arcades. 

No  special  significance  attaches,  so  far  as  I  know,  to  the  name 
Neander  Heradeus^  which  the  young  Pecci  received  on  his  admit- 
tance to  the  Academy  in  1832.  It  was  a  relic  of  the  older  spirit  of 
the  Eenaissance.  Hausschein  became  Oecolampadius;  Schwarzerd, 
Melanchthon,  etc.,  while  Metastasio,  in  later  times,  covered  over 
the  humbler  name  of  Trapassi.  Sometimes  the  Greek  name  was 
not  a  translation  of  the  vernacular,  however,  nor,  as  in  the  case  of 
Metastasio,  signified  even  the  "  changing  "  of  one  name  into  another. 
Before  publishing  his  Arcadia,  Sannazaro  had  joined  a  literary 
society,  and  had  changed  his  name  into  Azio  Sincero.  Had  the 
fashion  any  connection  with  the  pleasant  identification  which  Virgil 
makes  of  himself  with  Tityrus  in  the  6th  Eclogue?  It  is  not,  in- 
deed, likely;  although  the  fanciful  Arcadia  of  the  poets  had  grown 
almost  into  a  reality  from  the  Arcadia  of  Sannazaro  and  that  of  Sir 
Philip  Sidney,  and  the  Arcades  of  Milton. 

Reminiscences  of  tlie  Eclogues  shine  tliroughout  the  Pope's  poem. 
It  is,  of  course,  unnecessary  to  give  illustrations  of  this  close  inspira- 
tion. The  biographic  details  alluded  to  by  the  Pope  may  not,  per- 
haps, be  equally  familiar  to  all  the  readers  of  the  poem.  Metastasio 
was  made  imperial  laureate  by  Charles  VI. : 

Agnovit  vatem  Caesaris  aula  suum. 

Parini  was  the  greatest  Italian  satirist  of  his  day — "  scourged  the 
follies  of  his  time : " 

Te  ne  ego  sublimi  sileam  metuende  flagello— 

and  excelled  also  in  lyric  poetry: 

Carmine  saepe  ausum  grandia  pindarico. 

Although  successful  in  lyric,  satiric,  and  dramatic  verse,  and  attain- 
ing to  many  honors — (he  was  elected  to  membership  in  many  literary 
societies,  such  as  the  Tramformati  in  Milan,  the  Arcadia  in  Rome; 
was  professor  of  literature  in  two  institutions;  and  was  highly  hon- 

296 


NOTES 


ored  by  the  Emperor  Leopold  and  by  Bonaparte) — nevertheless  he 
was  as  poor  at  the  end  of  his  career  as  at  its  commencement: 

Patria,  magne  senex,  te  Insubria  vidit  egentem— 

but  his  renown  has  survived  his  death,  and  is  being  more  and  more 
vindicated  by  the  cooler  judgment  of  to-day.  The  Pope  is  quite 
within  the  bounds  of  accuracy: 

Vindex  posteritas  te  supra  astra  locat. 

Alfieri  created  a  new  era  of  tragedy  in  Italy;  and  after  discovering 
his  talent,  labored  most  energetically,  producing  fourteen  tragedies 
in  seven  years.  He  also  translated  some  plays  of  Aeschylus,  Sopho- 
cles and  Euripides: 

Visus,  qui  tragicum  spiralis,  e  littore  graio 
Ausoniis  Sophoclen  mente  animoque  refers. 

The  London  Tablet  (Jan.  13,  1900)  contained  this  comment  on 
Parini,  without  mention  of  Metastasio  or  Alfieri: 

"The  following  distichs  have  been  composed  by  His  Holiness 
quite  recently  in  memory  of  Giuseppe  Parini: 

Te  ne  ego  sul)limi  sileam  metuende  flagello 
Carmine  saepe  ausum  graudia  pindarico  ? 

Patria,  magne  senex,  te  Insubria  vidit  egentem 
Vindex  posteritas  te  super  astra  locat. 

"The  temperament  of  Parini  differed  widely  from  that  of  Leo 
Xni ;  his  was  acrid,  violent,  unsparing;  the  Pope's  is  exactly  the 
reverse.  But  both  are  shown  to  have  many  points  of  resemblance 
when  we  remember  that,  leaving  the  poets  of  North  Europe  out  of 
count  for  the  sake  of  argument,  Parini  was  probably  the  greatest 
satirist  since  the  days  of  Juvenal,  though  possessed  of  qualities  which 
made  him  resemble  both  Virgil  and  Horace,  as  the  Cardinal  Vice- 
Chancellor  has  shown  in  an  eloquent  discourse.  In  a  double  way, 
therefore,  he  resembles  the  poet-Pope,  who  has  celebrated  him  in 
verse. 

Patria,  mague  senex,  te  Insubria  vidit  egentem, 

sings  Leo  XIII. 

La  mia.  povera  madre  non  laa  pane 
Le  non  da  me,  ed  io  non  ho  danaro 
Da  mantenerla  almeno  per  domane," 

sings  Parini  himself. 

297 


NOTES 


Vindex  poster! tas  te  supra  astra  locat, 

sings  tlie  Pope,  as  Ivlonti  sang  : 

Cor  di  Danto  e  del  suo  duca  il  canto! 

comparing  the  poet-priest  to  Virgil.  The  Consiiltore  Pecci  saved 
Parini  after  the  death  of  the  Cbunt  Fermian  and  the  poet's  refusal 
to  versify  in  honor  of  Maria  Teresa,  and  the  verses  of  Leo  XIII  are 
likely  to  be  as  well  remembered  as  the  friendship  of  the  Consiiltore. 
About  the  same  time  that  he  set  himself  to  celebrate  Parini.  and  thus 
to  rob  civil  Italy  of  the  honor  of  paying  due  honor  to  its  eighteenth- 
century  poet  on  the  centenary  of  his  death,  Leo  XIII  turned  the 
following  sonnet  of  Professor  E.  Frontini  into  flowing  verses,  illus- 
trated the  original  poem  with  an  Italian  note,  and  signed  his  own 
dear  academic  name  of  Neander  Heracleus." 

Then  follows  the  Sonnetto  with  its  version  into  Latin  elegiacs: 

SONNETTO. 

Dal  poggio  occidental  dell'Appennino  ^ 
Discendi,  o  linfa  di  perenne  vena, 
E,  abbandonato  il  natural  cammino, 
Riguadagua  la  cima  entro  Turrena. 

Qui  accolta  neirampissimo  bacino, 
Dove  I'arte  mostr6  sua  maggior  lena, 
Al  gramo  e  aH'opulenlo  cittadino 
Vieni  a  far  lieta  e  salutar  la  cena. 

Salve,  o  figliuola  della  pia  Natura, 
Acqua,  ristoro  all'animal  famiglia, 
Che  da  rei  mordi  teco  si  assicura. 

E  tu,  salve,  deH'uora  provvido  ingegno, 
Che  or  con  una  or  con  altra  mcraviglia 
D'IgOa  propaghi  il  bencdetto  re^^no. 

—G.  Prof.  Frontini. 

')  Dalle  roccie  deH'Appennino  TJiubro,  a  Bagnara  presso  Nocora,  sgorga 
I'acqua  che  periti  ingcgncri  idraulici,  superundo  le  non  lievi  diilicoltA  del 
lungo  cammino,  hnnno  condotto  a  Perugia.  Declinando  a  destra  del  Sub- 
asio,  essa  percorre  I'estesa  pianura  di  Assisi,  e  riguadagna  la  ciuia  a  Moute 
Ripido,  clevatissimo  colle  che  domina  la  vestusta  Turrena.  Lassil  ^Taccolta 
in  un  vasto  bacino,  appositamcnte  or  costruito,  stupenda  opera  d'arte  per 
solidltiX  ed  cleganza  de  stile;  e  di  lit  sccnde  e  diramasi  in  cittA  pcrdiversi 
canali,  uno  de'quali  va  ad  alimentare  Ja  monumentale  fontanadi  piazza  del 
Duomo.—Tfie  Pope's  note. 

298 


NOTES 


PARAPHRASIS. 
E  colle  occiduo,  qua  nubifer  Appenninus 
Attollit  frontem,  Candida  lympha,  veni. 

Oblita  aerei  niontis  praerupta  vagari 
Per  saxa  infrenis  praccipitesquc  vias. 

Hue  iani  flecte  iter,  hue  propera  tranquilla  per  Umbram 
Labere  substructo  fornice  planitiem ; 

Mox  celerans  cursum,  regalia  moenia  et  arces  ^ 
Fortis  Turrenae  scande  et  amoena  iuga. 

Turn  subito  e  latebra  erumpens,  decurre  peramplum 
In  labium,  excellens  nobilis  artis  opus; 

Subiectaeque  urbi  iugi  ac  praedivite  vena 
Provida  deter  opes,  Candida  lympha,  tuas, 

Inque  domos  deducta,  patrumque  humilisque  popelli 
Perge  salutifero  rore  hilarare  dapes. 

Prodesse  o  cunctis  assueta  animantibus,  o  quae 
Frigidula  et  dulcis  languida  membra  levas, 

Pepellis  morbos,  probibes  contagia  dira, 
Salve  naturae  filia  lympha  piae ! 

Tuque  o  mens  hominum  salve,  quae  lenis  Hygeae 
Miris  usque  modis  provehis  imperinm  ! 

—Neander  Heracleus. 


VIVAT  CHEISTUS  QUI  DILIGIT  FRANCOS  (p.  196). 

This  poem  was  sent  by  His  Holiness  to  Cardinal  Langenieux^ 
Archbishop  of  Rheims,  apropos  of  the  proposed  celebration  at 
Rheims,  of  the  14th  centenary  of  the  conversion  of  Clovis.  The 
commemoration  seems  to  have  moved  the  heart  of  the  Pope  very 
powerfully,  for  besides  two  letters  which  he  sent  to  the  Cardinal  ap- 
proving the  proposed  celebration,  and  filled  with  affection  for  the 
French  people,  he  subsequently  wrote  a  congratulatory  letter,  dated 
Oct.  28,  1896,  on  the  outpouring  of  religious  zeal  manifested  during 
this  "  Jubilee  year"  of  the  French  nation.  From  these  letters  as 
well  as  from  the  Pastoral  of  Card.  Langenieux  announcing  the  Papal 
approbation  and  special  favors  granted,  it  will  be  interesting  to  ex- 
tract some  passages  illustrating  the  poem. 

■After  the  noble  prelude  of  the  first  stanza,  the  Pope  recalls  the 
occasion  that  led  to  the  conversion  of  Clovis.     To  understand  some- 

1)  Nonnulla  Imperii  romani  numismata  titulum  praeferunt  Pcrusiae 
augustae. 

299 


NOTES 


thing  of  the  enthusiastic  view  of  this  event  taken  by  all  Catholics, 
and  especially  by  all  Catholic  French  hearts,  we  must  leave  the 
desiccated  narratives  of  modern  historians  and  hie  us  back  to  St. 
Gregory  of  Tours,  to  Alcuin  and  to  Ilincmar.  Guizot  {Memoires 
sur  V Histoire  de  France^  T.  I.,  p.  viii)  remarks  that:  "  De  tous  les 
monumens  qu'il  nous  a  transmis  sur  ce  long  et  sombre  chaos,  le  plus 
important  est,  a  coup  sur,  V  histoire  ecclesiatique  des  Francs  de 
Gr^goire  de  Tours;  titre  singulier  et  qui  r^v^le  le  secret  de  I'^tat 
social  a  cette  ^poque.  Ce  n'est  pas  1' histoire  distincte  de  I'Eglise, 
ce  n' est  pas  non  plus  1' histoire  civile  et  politique  seule  qu' a  voulu 
retracer  I'ecrivain;  I'une  et  1' autre  se  sont  ofTertes  en  meme  temps  a 
sa  pensee,  et  tellement  unies  qu'il  n'a  pas  cru  pouvoir  les  separer. 
Le  clerg^  et  les  Francs,  c'etait  alors  en  effet  toute  la  societe,  la  seule 
du  moins  qui  prit  part  vraiement  aux  evenemens  et  put  pretendre  a 
une  histoire."  Guizot  seems  to  find  fault  with  this  treatment,  since 
he  continues:  ''  Le  reste  de  la  population  vivait  et  mourait  miserable, 
inactif,  ignore."  I  shall  not  pause  to  quarrel  with  his  implied  criti- 
cism, but  shall  merely  call  attention  to  the  fact  which  he  signalizes, 
namely,  that  to  St.  Gregory's  mind,  France  and  its  religion  were  to 
be  inseparable  companions;  that,  to  the  French  mind,  Gesta  Dei  per 
Francos  was  not  merely  a  chronicle,  but  as  well  a  symbolism;  and 
that,  for  its  war-cry,  France  took  the  words  Noel!  Noel!  and  thus 
recalled  the  Christmas  night  of  the  year  476,  when  France,  in  the 
baptism  of  Clovis,  became  the  "  eldest  daughter  of  the  Church."  A 
nation  was  born  on  the  natal  day  of  Christ  the  Saviour.  The  oldest 
narratives  of  the  baptism  of  Clovis  are  redolent  of  this  interfusion  of 
religious  and  national  aspirations.  And  it  is  not  strange  that  the 
14th  centenary  of  the  event  should  have  moved  the  Pope  to  write  a 
poem  summarizing  the  grand  story  of  France  into  a  condensed 
Oesta  Dei. 

Teutonum  pressus  Clodoveus  ai-mis. — "The  queen,"  says  Gregory 
(lib.  ii),  "  ceased  not  to  implore  the  king  to  acknowledge  the  true 
God  and  to  give  up  his  idols;  but  he  could  not  be  prevailed  on  to  do 
this  until,  in  a  war  with  the  Allemanni,  he  was  forced  by  necessity 
to  confess  what  until  then  he  had  wished  to  deny.  It  came  to  pass 
that  in  an  engagement  marked  by  great  slaughter  [in  490,  at  Tol- 
biac  (?)  now  Ziilpich,  near  Cologne],  Clovis,  perceiving  that  his 
army  was  being  cut  to  pieces,  raised  his  hands  towards  heaven,  and 
exclaimed  with  tears:  'Jesus  Christ,  whom  Clothilde  declares  to  be 
the  Son  of  the  living  God,  who  art  said  to  help  them  that  are  in 

300 


NOTES 


danger,  and  to  grant  victory  to  them  that  hope  in  Thee,  I  devoutly 
invoke  Thy  help;  if  Thou  wilt  grant  me  victory  over  my  enemies, 
if  I  experience  that  power  of  wliicli  the  people  consecrated  to  Thy 
name  declare  they  have  received  so  many  proofs,  I  will  believe  in 

Thee  and  be  baptized  in  Thy  name "     This  long  prayer  is 

summarized  in  the  third  stanza  of  the  poem.  Hincmar,  in  his  Life 
of  St.  Kemigius  (c.  24),  introduces  Aurelian  as  speaking  to  the  king 
in  almost  the  same  words  as  the  poem:  ""  Domine  mi  rex,  crede 
modo  Deum  coeli  quem  domina  mea  regina  praedicat,  et  dabit  tibi 
ipse  rex  regum  et  Deus  coeli  atque  terrae  victoriam." 

Illico  excussus  pavor,  etc. — Gregory:  "  As  he  said  these  words,  the 
AUemanni  turned  and  fled;  and  seeing  that  their  king  was  dead,  sur- 
rendered to  Clovis." 

Bemis  te  manet  infulata  f route  sacerdos. — At  the  request  of  Clotilda, 
St.  Eemigius  (Kemi),  bishop  of  Kheims,  began  to  instruct  Clovis  in 
Christianity.  Several  bishops,  including  those  of  Chartres  and 
Soissons,  together  with  many  priests,  joined  in  this  apostolate  which 
had  for  its  catechumens  a  whole  army.  Finally  the  great  day  of 
baptismal  regeneration  was  at  hand  (Christmas,  496).  St.  Gregory 
of  Tours  and  Hincmar  have  left  us  glowing  descriptions  of  the  cere- 
mony, which  have  been  pleasingly  condensed  by  Darras  (Eng. 
transl. ):  ''The  baptismal  fonts  of  St.  Martin's,  the  great  church  of 
Eheims,  were  magnificently  adorned;  the  nave  was  decorated  with 
white  hangings;  the  same  emblematic  color  also  appeared  in  the 
dress  of  Clovis  and  the  other  catechumens  chosen  from  among  the 
flower  of  the  Salians.  On  Christmas  night  (A.  D.  476),  all  the 
streets  were  tapestried  from  the  king's  palace  to  the  basilica;  the 
church  blazed  with  a  thousand  fires  shed  from  richly  perfumed 
tapers.  The  procession  moved  on  toAvards  the  basilica,  preceded  by 
the  Cross  and  the  book  of  Gospels  borne  in  state.  St.  Kemigius  led 
the  king  by  the  hand;  they  were  followed  by  queen  Clotilda,  and 
the  two  prinoesses  Albofleda  and  Lantilda,  sisters  of  Clovis.  Up- 
ward of  three  thousand  ofiicers  and  nobles  of  the  court,  all  dressed 
in  white  ornaments,  were  going  to  receive  baptism  with  their  king." 
These  details  ai-e  more  summarily  given  in  the  first  two  paragraphs 
of  the  letter  containing  the  papal  grant  of  a  Jubilee  (dated  Jan.  8, 
1896).  The  Pope  next  remarks  that  the  union  of  the  scattered  ter- 
ritories of  the  Frankish  realm  was  brought  about  rather  by  divine 
assistance  than  by  the  civil  or  military  exploits  of  Clovis;  and  that 
France  began  thenceforward  to  flourish  and  to  merit  well  of  Catho- 

301 


yOTES 


licity;  and  draws  the  conclusion  stated  in  the  poem  {Et  cohors  omnis 
populusque  dio  tingitur  amne):  "  Non  igitur  sine  causa  affirmant,  in 
eo  ipso  coramemorabili  Baptismate  totam  simul  Galliam  fuisse  quo- 
dammodo  renovatam,  consecutaeque  peramplae  eius  claritudinis  inde 
extitisse  primordia." 

Te  IRomaml  colet  matrem  ;  tua  malor  esse  gestiet  natu.—St.  Anas- 
tasius  II,  in  his  Letter  to  Clovis,  utters  the  same  thought:  ''Glorious 
son,  your  entrance  into  the  Christian  fold  coincides  with  the  begin- 
ning of  our  pontificate.  .  .  .  May  you  become  our  crown;  and  may 
the  Church,  your  Mother,  applaud  the  progress  of  the  great  king  she 
has  brought  forth  unto  God.  Be  the  joy  of  your  mother."  This 
letter,  printed  by  d'Achery  in  his  Spicilegium,  and  subsequently 
reprinted  by  him  and  by  others,  is  considered  spurious  by  Julien 
Ha  vet  {Questions  Merovingiennes,  II.,  Les  Decouvertes  de  Jerome 
Vignier.  Paris,  1885.  J  France  has  always  rejoiced  in  the  title  of 
"eldest  daughter  of  the  Church."  The  Pope  recalls  this  title  in  his 
second  letter  (Oct.  28,  1896)  to  Card.  Langenieux :  "Mais  ce  qui 
nous  a  surtout  rejoui  et  console,  c'est  la  tres  noble  ardour  que  vous 
deployez  pour  amener  vos  concitoyens  a  repondre,  comme  le  firent 
leurs  aieux,  a  Notre  toute  particuliere  affection  pour  la  Fille  ainee 
de  TEglise." 

Domitor  ferocis  fulget  Astolfi. — Pepin  le  Bref.  Singularly  enough, 
the  Civilta  Cattolica.  commenting  very  briefly  on  the  poem,  mentions 
Charlemagne  and  omits  Pepin. 

Sociasque  in  unum  cogite  vires. — "  Cette  commemoration  nous  a  et^ 
d'  autant  plus  agrdable  qu'elle  offrait  au  peuple  fran9ais  une  occasion 
plus  excellente  de  puiser  des  energies  nouvelles  pour  ranimer,  accro- 
itre  meme  les  gloires  de  la  foi  des  ancetres  et  de  renouveler  ...  les 
engagements  pris  jadis  an  jour  du  bapteme."  (Letter  of  Pope  Leo 
XIII.  to  Card.  Langenieux,  Oct.  28,  189G. ) 

Nil  Fide  Christi  prius. — This  last  stanza  recalls  the  prophecy  of 
St.  Remigius  to  Clovis,  on  the  eve  of  his  baptism:  "  Your  posterity 
shall  nobly  govern  this  kingdom,  bring  glory  to  Holy  Church,  and 
inherit  the  empire  of  the  Romans.  As  long  as  it  follows  the  path  of 
truth  and  virtue,  it  will  not  cease  to  prosper.  But  its  fall  will  follow 
the  invasion  of  vice  and  corrupt  morals."  Darras  (Vol.  14,  p.  ?>Q) 
remarks:  "La  prophetic  de  1'  evSque  de  Reims  au  berceau  de  la 
monarchic  fran^aise  s'est  egalement  r^alis^e  au  pied  de  la  lettre. 
Plus  la  France  s'dcartera  des  voies  de  la  v^rite  et  de  la  vertu,  plus 
elle  precipitera  sa  propre  mine." 

302 


yOTES 


I  can  not  forbear  to  translate  a  part  of  the  admirable  Pastoral  of 
Card.  Langenieux:  "The  year  1896  brings  the  fourteen  hundredth 
anniversary  of  a  providential  event,  which  has  already  tixed  the  his- 
toric and  religious  destinies  of  the  French  nation,  and  which  remains 
the  glory  of  our  city  of  Eheims.  For  indeed  it  was  not  merely  a 
barbarian  leader,  but  a  whole  people  whom  St.  Eemi  baptized  on 
Christmas  day  of  the  year  496;  and  this  memorable  date  makes  an 
epoch  in  the  history  of  modern  times.  The  eJBTects  of  the  conversion 
of  Clovis  were  felt  in  the  very  confines  of  the  people  of  Gaul;  and  it 
loses  nothing  when  placed  in  comparison  with  the  conversion,  so 
important  for  the  Church,  of  Constantine,  in  a  preceding  age.  It 
really  inaugurated  in  the  West  a  new  order  of  thing-s;  and,  by  as- 
suring definitely  to  the  Franks  a  predominance  amongst  the  king- 
doms started  in  the  fifth  century  by  the  invading  barbarians,  it  gave 
to  the  Holy  See  that  support  which  was  humanly  indispensable  if  it 
was  to  survive  the  destruction  of  the  Empire  and  upon  its  ruins 
build  up,  out  of  other  materials,  the  Christian  civilization  which  we 
now  enjoy.  The  baptistery  of  Eheims  has  become,  therefore,  the 
cradle  of  this  Christian  France,  the  first-born  daughter  of  the 
Church.  She  has  received  from  Christ  a  special  mission  of  devotion 
to  the  Papacy;  above  all  things  is  she  honored  by  her  service  in  the 
apostolate  of  God  amongst  the  nations.  And  now,  my  dear  breth- 
ren, when  a  nation  has  for  fourteen  centuries  lived  on  such  an  act  of 
faith;  when  it  has  carried  in  its  bosom,  as  a  clear  privilege,  that 
original  compact  which  became  the  law  of  its  history;  when  it  has 
been  able  to  demonstrate,  by  the  material  evidence  of  facts,  that  the 
interests  of  its  own  policy  as  a  state  have  been  always  inseparably 
blended  in  the  world  with  the  very  interests  of  God;  and  that,  fol- 
lowing the  example  of  the  elect  race  of  biblical  times,  it  has  seen  its 
prosperity,  with  all  its  glories,  increase  or  decrease  in  proportion  as 
it  has  been  faithful  or  faithless  to  its  mission;  it  is  proper,  if  it 
should  find  opportunity,  to  recall,  by  prayer,  thanksgiving  and  re- 
pentance, the  far-oflf  memory  of  its  first  days;  it  is  proper  that  it 
should  silence,  for  a  time,  the  tumult  of  current  aflaii-s;  that  it 
should  look  up  to  God,  and,  confronting  its  own  image  the  better  to 
know  itself,  should  read  again,  in  the  truth  and  splendor  of  its  his- 
tory, the  divine  bond  that  unites  it  to  Christ."  Concerning  the 
Letters  sent  by  His  Holiness,  the  Cardinal  says:  The  Sovereign 
Pontifl"''  conjures  the  France  of  Clovis  not  to  depart  from  its  provi- 
dential pathway;   '  to  remain  faithful  to  its  genius  and  its  Christian 

303 


NOTES 


destinies;'  to  reawaken  in  its  bosom  '  the  active  and  militant  faith  of 
past  ages;'  and  to  continue  still  to  be  in  the  hands  of  God  'a  mighty- 
weapon  for  the  defense  of  the  Church,  and  for  the  spreading  of  the 
social  kingdom  of  Christ  upon  earth.'  He  invites  all  'the  sons  of 
the  French  fatherland'  to  turn  their  eyes  and  hearts  towards  our 
ancient  national  baptistery  and  the  glorious  tomb  of  St.  Kemi.  .  .  . 
He  reminds  them  that  '  the  abandonment  of  the  principles  consti- 
tuting their  power  till  now,  will  infallibly  lead  to  their  decay,  and 
will  hand  them  over  defenceless  to  the  enemies  of  property,  of  the 
family,  and  of  society.'  He  urges  them  to  banish  every  germ  of 
political  dissension  and  to  be  united  in  truth,  justice  and  charity,  as 
children  of  the  same  Father,  in  order  to  proclaim  in  a  national  act 
of  faith,  above  all  lassitudes  and  divisions,  the  idee  franc^aise;  that 
is  to  say,  the  eternal  design  which  God  has  had  for  our  country." 
This  is  almost  a  perfect  summary  of  the  Pope' s  Ode. 

DEO  ET  VIKGINI  INSTANTE  MORTE  VOTA  (p.  206). 

The  poem  appears  to  have  been  written  by  His  Holiness  origi- 
nally in  Italian,  and  comprised  only  the  first  twelve  lines  as  found 
in  our  text.  It  was  sent  by  him  to  Cesare  Cantu,  "the  Prince  of 
Church  historians,"  and  appeared  in  an  Italian  journal  together 
with  a  Bisposta  by  the  avvocato  Giov.  Sinistri  and  a  translation  into 
Latin  elegiacs  by  "  Un  Sacerdote."  This  Latin  version  is  given 
below. 

Jam  prope  deciduus  se  sol  abscondit,  et  aurea 

Luce  tibi  inspergit  tempera  cana,  Leo. 
Exustae  venae ;  sensimque  extinguitur  arens 

Vita ;  suum  torquet  pallida  mors  iaculum. 
Frigida  funereo  mox  membra  teguntur  amictu, 

Urnaque  mortales  colligit  exuvias. 
At  rapidus,  vinclis  abruptis,  explicat  alas 

Spiritus  in  coelum ;  sidera  anhelus  avet. 
Hoc  opus,  hie  labor,  liaec  longarum  meta  viarum: 

Sancta  haec  care,  precor,  perfice  vota,  Deus. 
Et  si  quid  merui,  da  animam  banc  in  regna  beata, 

Namque  tuus  favor  est,  scandere  Teque  frui, 

JULIO  STERBINIO  FAMILIARI  (p.  208). 

The  poem  appears  in  the  text  much  changed  from  the  following, 
which  was  probably  the  original  draft: 

304 


NOTES 


IVLIO  STERBINIO. 

FAMILIARI. 

luli  muinis  habe,  Cor  lesv:  *  manat  abunde 
Inde  salutifeia;  vena  perennis  aquae. 

Quern  lesu  de  Corde  fluens  lustraverit  unda, 
Abstergi  labes  sentiet  ille  suas. 

Tu  quoque  iam  propera  ad  fontem,  hoc  te  merge  lavacro ; 
Pulchrior  evenies  et  nive  candidior — 

Mergeris :  en  subito  detersus  lucida  cselo 
Figere  vividius  lumina  munda  vales ; 

Quserere  nee  cselum  cessas ;  insana  cupido 
Si  quando  illecebris  urgeat  in  vetitum, 

Reiicis  indignans :  animum  tenet  una  voluptas 
Divinis  mentem  pascere  deliciis. 

Atque,  imo  quae  corde  latent,  arcana  recludens 
Ad  Jesum  perhibes  te  magis  usque  trahi 

Vi  dulci  et  grata ;  benefacta  et  dona  recenses 
Quae  tibi  munifica  contulit  Ipse  manu— 

Sic  tua  sit  semper  virtus,  tua  gloria  lesus ! 
Et  tuus  incense  pectore  iugis  amor : 

Invictum  robur  dura  in  certamina  vitse, 

Fulgida  lux  signans  tutum  iter  ad  patriam ! 

—Leo  XIII. 

OB  NUPTIAS  ALPHONSI  STERBINI  ET  JULIAE 
PIZZIRANI(p.  214). 
Written  as  late  as  the  year  1897,  this  pretty  Epithalamium  is  a. 
convincing  proof  that,  with  some  hearts,  the  sympathies  of  life  only 
grow  mellower  with  age.  The  venerable  Pontiff  had  not  merely 
attained  the  proverbial  three-score  years  and  ten,  but  had  exceeded 
that  limit  by  more  than  three  added  lusters;  and  still  his  heart  could 
enter  into  the  joyous  forecastings  of  youth.  Which  of  his  themes 
should  be  considered  more  ''  humanizing"  than  this?  His  verse  is 
not,  however,  full  of  airy  nothings  about  Cupid  and  Hymen.  He 
sees  in  that ' * world-without-end  bargain"  (as  the  Princess  styles  it 
in  Love's  Labor's  Lost),  a  great  Christian  sacrament,  to  be  placed 
under  the  protecting  wing  of  the  Virgin  of  Pompeii,  and  to  be  ren- 
dered more  and  more  holy  by  the  continued  blessings  of  heaven.     It 

*An.  MDCCCXCVII.  Leo  XIII.  depictam  divini  Cordis  lesu  tabulam  lulio 
Sterbinio  eiusque  filiis  done  dedit. 

305 


NOTES 


is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Pope  answers  his  own  query:  ''Whence 
this  love?  ( Unde  amor  istef)"  by  a  Latin  verse  which  is  the  equiva- 
lent of 

Two  souls  with  b\it  a  single  thougbt, 
Two  hearts  that  beat  as  one. 

Scilicet,  he  says,  simile  ingenium;  that  Ls,  two  souls  with  but  a  single 
thought:  and  he  assigns  as  a  second  reason,  parilis  voluntas;  that  is, 
two  hearts  that  beat  as  one.  We  scarce  could  escape — nor,  indeed, 
wished  to  do  so — the  influence  which  the  old  thought  and  the  old 
jingle  exercised  in  shaping  the  suggestion  of  the  fii-st  stanza  of  the 
translation. 

AD  FABRICIUM  KUFUM  (p.  216). 

The  text  given  in  this  volume  is  a  revision  of  the  Epistle  as  it 
originally  appeared.  Some  lines  have  been  added,  many  have  been 
altered,  and  the  succession  of  topics  has  been  slightly  introverted. 
Altogether,  the  text  has  been  so  changed  as  to  render  interesting  the 
following  comparison  of  the  two  drafts  of  the  poem.  The  first  seven 
lines  are  identical  in  both  poems.     The  original  text: 

Albana  e  cella  iubeas  purissima  vina 

Apponi ;  exhilarant  animos  curasque  rcsolvunt 

appears  revised  as  follows: 

Apponi  in  mensa  iubeas  purissima  vina ; 
Et  vacuus  curis,  grate  praecordia  potu 
Demulce  et  recrea,  convivas  inter  amicos. 

After  the  next  two  lines  the  revision  inserts: 

Candida  lympha !  datum  \ix  quidquam  hoc  munere  mains, 
Vix  quidquam  varies  vitae  magis  utile  in  usus. 

The  next  two  lines  remain  unchanged,  except  that  "dapes  et," 
appears  as  "  dapes  aut." 
The  next  line: 

Sume  libens,  firmandia  viribus  utilis  esca 
appears  revised  as: 

Smne  libens ;  toto  nam  firmant  corporc  vires. 
30G 


NOTES 


The  next  two  lines: 


Sint  tenerae  cariies ;  instructaque  fercula  spissum 
Non  ins  vel  siser  inficiat,  non  fercula  coa, 


are  revised  into: 

At  mollire  prius  canies,  et  fercula  cures 
Ne  siser  inficiat,  ne  faecula  coa  vel  alec. 

''Eggs"  is  the  topic  next  introduced  in  the  original,  while  the 
introversion  in  the  revision  brings  up  immediately  that  of  ''milk 
and  honey."  We  shall  indicate  the  original  text  by  the  letters  (O, 
T.),  and  the  revision  by  (K.  T.). 

Lento  Igue  aut  libeat  modicis  siccare  patellis, 

Sugere  seu  naollem  pleno  sit  gratius  ore ; 

Atque  alios  sunt  ova  tibi  percommoda  in  usus.  (O.  T.) 

Lent  igne  aut  libeat  modicis  siccare  patellis, 

Sugere  seu  mollem  pleno  sit  gratius  ore ; 

XJtcuraque  absumas  erit  utilis  esca  saluti.  (R.  T.) 

Neve  accepta  minus  spumautis  copia  lactis: 

Nutriit  infantem ;  senior  bene  lacte  valebis. 

Nunc  age,  et  aerei  mellis  caelestia  dona 

Profer,  et  hyblaeo  parens  de  nectare  liba. 

Adde  suburbano  tibi  quod  succrescit  in  horto 

Dulce  olus,  et  pubens  decusso  flore  legumen ; 

Adde  et  maturos,  quos  fertilis  educat  annus, 

Delectos  fructus,  imprimis  mitia  poma, 

Quae  pulcre  in  cistis  mensam  rubicunda  coronent.    (0.  T.) 

Nunc  age;  provideas  tereti  defusa  catino, 

Ne  desit  mensae  spumanti^  copia  lactis. 

Nil  vitale  magis,  nil  lacte  salubrius ;  mfans 

Qui  lac  suxisti,  senior  bene  lacte  valebis. 

Degustanda  simul  profer  dulcissima  mella ; 

Attamen  hyblaeo  parens  de  nectare  liba. 

Turn  laudata,  etc. 

Culta  suburbano,  riguoque  virentia  in  horto 

Adde  olera  et  pubens  decusso  flore  legumen, 

Adde  novos  quos  laeta  refert  tibi  vinea  fructus, 

Dulces  pampinea  decerptos  vite  racemos, 

Pruna  admlxta  pyris,  imprimis  mitia  poma. 

Quae  pulcre  in  cistis  mensam  rubicunda  coronent.    (R.  T.) 

Postremo  e  tostls  succedat  potio  baccis, 

Quas  tibi  Moka  ferax,  mittunt  et  littora  eoa : 

Nigrantem  laticem  sensim  summisque  labellis 

Sorbilla ;  dulcis  stomachum  bene  molliet  haustus.     (O.  T.) 

307 


yOTES 


Postremo  e  testis  succedat  potio  baccis, 

Quas  tibi  Moka  ferax  e  littore  mittit  eoo: 

Nigrantem,  etc,  (R.  T.) 

The  next  three  lines  are  unchanged.     Then: 

Principio  boc  illi  studium ;  componere  mensas 

Ornatu  vario,  aulaeis  ostroque  nitentes.  (O.  T.) 

Principio  baec  illi  sellers  et  sedula  cura, 

Instniere  ornatu  mensas  cultuque  decoras.  (R.  T.) 

The  next  line  is  unchanged.     Then: 

Grandia  stant  circum  longo  ordine  pocula,  aheni 
Crateres,  paterae,  lances,  argentea  vasa:  (O.  T.) 

Grandia  disponit  lougo  ordine  pocula,  lances, 

Caelatas  auro  pateras,  argentea  vasa ;  (R.  T.) 

The  next  three  lines  are  unchanged.     Then: 

Mollibus  et  blanda  invitat  discumbere  lectis ;  (O.  T.) 

Et  lectis  blanda  invitat  discumbere  eburnis ;  (R.  T.) 

The  next  ten  lines  are  unchanged.     Then  : 

Carnibus  admixti  pisces ;  coucbylia  rhombi, 

Mollia  pectniibus  patulis  iuncta  ostrea,  et  ampla 

In  patera  squillas  inter  muraena  natautes.  (0.  T.) 

Carnibus  admixti  pisces;  cum  murice  rhombi, 

Ostrea,  et  educti  Miseno  e  gurgite  echini. 

Hos  super,  immanis  patina  porrecta  nitenti, 

Apparet  squillas,  etc.  '"  (R.  T.) 

The  remaining  eighteen  lines  are  unchanged. 

The  extended  comparison  just  made,  besides  aflbrding  a  pleasant 
peep  into  the  literary  work-shop  of  the  august  author,  serves  to  point 
the  necessity  for  a  new  translation.  No  version  made  from  the  origi- 
nal draft  could  well  be  confronted  with  the  revised  poem,  amended, 
enlarged  and  introverted  as  tliis  is.  The  necessity  under  which  we 
jay,  of  furnishing  a  new  translation,  affords  us  an  opportunity  of 
paying  a  tribute  to  the  exquisite  version  made  by  Andrew  Lang  from 
the  original  text.  We  have  followed  his  example  in  using  the 
rhymed  iambic  pentameter  couplet  of  Pope,  but  have  been  more 
careful  to  make  the  number  of  lines  in  the  translation  the  same  as 

308 


NOTES 


in  the  Latin  text,  and — doubtless  at  the  expense  of  smoothness  and 
elegance — to  translate  as  i'ar  as  possible  line  for  line. 

Andrew  Lang's  translation  was  cabled  to  the  New  York  World. 
''The  Pope's  poem,"  he  wrote  by  way  of  introduction,  "is  on  the 
model  of  the  Epistles  of  Horace.  From  the  reference  to  coffee,  he 
seems  to  have  modern  manners  in  mind,  but  the  '  banquet  of  greed 
reflects  the  intemperance  of  ancient  Kome.  The  translation  is  neces- 
sarily in  the  manner  of  the  eighteenth  century."  We  are  tempted 
to  quote  from  the  "Epistle  to  a  Friend,"  written  by  the  poet  Rogers 
"in  the  manner  of  the  eighteenth  century,"  and,  indeed,  in  the 
eighteenth  century  (it  was  published  in  1798),  the  following  perti- 
nent illustration  : 

Vain  is  the  blaze  of  wealth,  the  pomp  oi  power! 

Lo,  here,  attendant  on  the  shadowy  hour. 

Thy  closet-supper,  served  by  hands  unseen, 

Sheds,  like  the  evening-star,  its  ray  serene 

To  hail  our  coming.    Not  a  step  profane 

Dares,  with  rude  sound,  the  cheerful  rite  restrain ; 

And,  while  the  frugal  banquet  glows  reveal'd. 

Pure  and  unbought— the  natives  of  my  field ; 

While  blushing  fruits  through  scattered  leaves  in\'ite, 

Still  clad  in  bloom,  and  veii'd  in  azure  light ! 

With  wine,  as  rich  in  years  as  Horace  sings, 

With  water,  clear  as  his  own  fountain  flings, 

The  shifting  side-board  plays  its  humbler  part, 

Beyond  the  triumphs  of  a  Loriot's  art. 

The  thought  and  even  the  expression  of  the  Pope  are  akin  to  the 
lines  of  Rogers  and,  like  the  ''  Epistle"  of  that  English  poet,  are 
designed  "to  illustrate  the  virtue  of  True  Taste,  and  to  show  how 
little  she  requires  to  secure,  not  only  the  comforts,  but  even  the  ele- 
gancies of  life"  (from  the  Preface  of  Rogers). 

It  is  inquiring  rather  closely  into  the  poetical  prescription  of  the 
Pope  to  make  his  suggestions  the  basis  of  an  elaborate  menu.  But 
one  eminent  chef  essayed  such  a  task.  "I  have  read,"  he  said, 
"Pope  Leo's  poem  a  dozen  times  this  morning  and  found  it — ah — 
sublime.  His  Holiness  has  it  right.  Simple  food,  delicately  pre- 
pared, gives  health  and  years.  I  am  a  cook,  an  artist,  and  I  endorse 
all  that  the  Pope  has  written.  .  .  .  Give  me  but  two  hours  and  I 
will  have  a  menu  ready — a  menu  fit  for  a  prince's  stomach.  Pooh, 
it  will  be  easy."  The  result  of  his  profound  thinking  was  as 
follows: 

309 


NOTES 


Small  clams. 

Soup. 

Cream  of  artichoke.  Madeleine. 

Relishes. 

Radishes.  Almonds.  Olives. 

Petites  duchesses. 

Fish. 

Boiled  brook  trout,  sauce  Grenadine. 

Potatoes  raousscline. 

Entrees. 

Beef  tenderloin  larded.  Mercedes. 

Breast  of  chicken.  Beaumanoix. 

Ne^v  peas  saute  in  butter. 

Sorbets  Princesses. 

Kew  corn  fritters. 

Game. 

Roast  ployer  on  canapes. 

Mixed  salad. 

Dessert. 

Mousse  of  strawbeny,  imperial. 

Fancy  cakes.       Fruits. 

Cafe. 

The  Epistle  hums  with  echoes  of  the  Epistles  and  Satires  of  Hor- 
ace. Ofellus,  the  rustic  pliilosopher,  steered  a  course  between  osten- 
tation and  meanness:  "  Sordidis  a  tenui  victu  distabit,  Ofello  iudice" 
(Sat.  II.,  ii,  53).  The  menu  of  the  Pope  follows  his  wise  suggestion 
and  compromises  well: 

Quae  virtus  et  quanta,  boni,  sit  vivere  parvo 

(Nee  mens  hie  sermo  est,  sed  quae  praecepit  Ofellus 

Rusticus,  abnormis  sapiens,  crassaque  Minerva), 

Discite,  non  inter  lances  mensasque  nitentes, 

Cum  stupet  insanis  acies  fulgoribus  et  cum 

Acclinis  falsis  animus  meliora  recusat,  etc.    (Ibid.,  1-6.) 

The  dire  consequences  of  excess  in  eating  and  drinking  are  pointed 
out  in  similar  fashion  by  both  poets: 

"  Simul  assis 
Miscueris  elixa,  simul  conchylia  turdis, 
Dulcia  se  in  bilem  vertent,  stomachoque  tumultum 
Lenta  ferot  i)ituita.    Vides  ut  pallidus  omuis 
Ccna  desurp:at  duliia?    Quin  corpus  onustum 
Hesternis  vitiis  animum  quoque  pergravat  una, 
Atque  affigit  humo  divinae  particulam  aurae."    (lb.,  76-9.) 

The  last  phrase  of  the  Pope's  i)oem,  borrowed  fi-om  Horace,  is,  of 
course,  endued  with  ''strength  from  on  high"  fcy  its  Christian  sig- 

310 


NOTES 


nificance,  and  serves  not  alone  to  round  out  the  poem  with  an  ele- 
gant rhetorical  finish,  but  as  well  to  dignify  the  whole  Epistle  with 
a  high  ethical  moral.  The  Horatian  allusions  or  echoings  of  the 
Epistle  need  not  be  indicated  here  (Cf.  Epp.  I.,  v  ;  Satt.  II.,  iv). 

The  many  changes  indicated  in  the  first  part  of  this  Note  (pp. 
306-8)  will*  serve  to  illustrate  how  materially  the  revised  text 
diflfers  from  the  original  one  from  which  Andrew  Lang  made  his  ex- 
cellent translation.  "  The  eighteenth  century  style"  was  singularly 
well  suited  to  the  spirit  of  such  a  version.  It  remained,  however, 
for  a  fellow-countryman  of  his  to  attempt  the  unique  experiment 
of  "doing"  Lang's  version  into  Scotch.  The  tang  of  the  new 
idiom  seems  to  add  a  spice-like  flavor  to  the  wise  counsels  of  the 
Epistle.  Mr.  James  D.  Law  (born  in  Lumsden,  Aberdeenshire, 
Scotland)  had  already  published  his  "  Dreams  o'  Hame,"  "Colum- 
bia-Caledonia." and  many  other  poems  on  Scottish  and  American 
topics  before  essaying  this  task.  Apart  from  the  question  of  its  ex- 
cellence— and  it  is  v/holly  delightful  and  refreshing — his  experiment 
should  find  a  place  here  merely  as  a  tribute  to  the  original  of  the 
Pope  and  the  version  of  Lang.  Mr.  Law  has  kindly  permitted  it  to 
appear  in  this  volume  for  the  first  time  in  print. 

POEM  ON  FRUGALITY  AND  LONG  LIFE  BY  POPE  LEO  XIII. 
ALSO  SHOWING  FORTH  THE  EVILS  OF  GREED  AND  GLUTTONY. 

Done  into  Scotch. 

BY   JAjMES  D.  law. 

I. 

Ofellus  good,  who  understood  Hippocrates  laiig  syne, 
In  language  plain  and  pleasant  vein  has  tauld  us  hoc  to  dine. 
And  he  has  shown  us  not  alone  what  evils  to  avoid, 
But  jotted  doun  in  numbers  roun'  what  things  may  he  enjoyed: 
"What  gies  us  health  far  mair  than  wealth  man's  hest  and  greatest  prize, 
And  what  befa's  by  Nature's  laws  to  a'  that  gormandize. 
The  glutton  thus  he  scores  for  us  in  words  he  doesna  spare 
And  lat's  us  ken  wi'  ready  pen  the  rules  o'  frugal  fare. 
311 


JNOTES 


II. 

Noo  first  o'  a'  tlio'  bare  or  braw  your  table  maun  be  neat, 

Your  linen  seen  aye  fresh  and  clean,  your  dishes  bricht  and  sweet. 

Your  grey-beard  pig,  if  sma'  or  big,  keep  primed  wV  mountain-dew, 

Nae  foreign  trash  in  which  to  splash,  but  Scotia's  choicest  brew! 

And  bena  sweir  your  he'rt  to  cheer  wi'  whiles  a  waught  or  twa 

Provided  aye  ye  dinna  try  owre  aft  to  drink  it  raw. 

Your  hame-baked  bread  let  it  be  made  frae  pure  selected  grain, 

And  a'  the  lueat  that  ye  may  eat  be  carefu'  o'  its  strain. 

Fill  up  your  plate  wi'  delicate  and  dairy-flavor'd  roasts 

But  shun  wi'  care  the  bill  o'  fare  that  spice  profusely  boasts. 

And  as  for  eggs,  if  fresh,  by  legs,  prepare  them  as  ye  please 

And  ye'll  declare  they'll  brawly  sair  your  hunger  to  appease. 

Of  milk  drink  deep  and  ever  keep  sweet  heather-honey  near 

As  choice  a  boon  as  handed  doun  frae  Heav'n  to  mortals  here. 

Pease,  lintels,  beans,  and  crispy  greens  in  thick  abundance  use, 

Wi'  wholesome  roots  and  tasty  fruits  whene'er  ye  may  them  choose 

Forgettin'  nae  at  least  to  hae  what  else  ye  can  afford, 

Reid  aipples  ranked  like  roses  banked  to  croon  your  rustic  board; 

And  last  of  a'  a  cup  (or  twa,  provided  they  are  wee) 

O'  Mocha  fine,  and  thus  yc'll  dine  frae  aches  and  ailments  free. 

III. 

By  sic  repasts  ye'll  bide  the  blasts  o'  mony  a  lang,  lang  yeai* 
And  greet  auld  age  a  healthy  sage,  nor  lack  for  lots  o'  cheer. 

IV. 

But  something  mair  as  we're  aware  Ofellus  preaches  still : 
The  Path  o'  Greed  that  can  but  lead  to  ilka  kind  o'  ill. 
Greed  likes  to  wile  wi'  sang  and  smile  the  feet  o'  men  astray 
A  siren  she  that's  kent  to  be  aye  watchin'  for  her  prey, 
Wi'  witchin'  airt  she  plays  her  pairt  and  bids  the  table  shine 
Wi'  claith  like  snaw  embroider'd  braw  and  napkins  just  as  fine. 
Pure  gowden  jugs  and  siller  mugs  in  raws  she  ranges  roun' 
The  massy  plate  that  in  its  state  ootweighs  a  monarch's  croon. 
Wi'  scented  sprays  and  sweet  bouquets  she  lures  her  devotees 
The  wines  to  prec,  the  meats  to  see  on  couches  at  their  ease: 
Then  brings  she  oot  frae  neuks  aboot  the  choicest  drinks  she  owns, 
And  Gluttony  wi'  honours  high,  she  for  the  nonce  enthrones. 
Like  bacchanals  at  country  balls  her  guests  drink  deep  and  lang, 
312 


NOTES 


And  stuff  and  strive  till  like  to  rive  their  stammacks  sae  tKcy  pan?:, 
Still  lures  she  on  v,V  mair  anon  and  finer  aye  the  fare, 
'Mang  oily  bree,  for  instance  see  a  spicy  pig's  the  snare, 
Then  maukins'  legs  and  lav'rocks'  eggs  and  livers  torn  frae  geese, 
And  reed-birds  rare  and  doos  as  fair  as  ony  snaw-white  fleece. 
In  mony  a  dish  flesh  mixed  wi'  fish  and  clam  and  oyster  stews; 
And  look!  an  eel  she  sets  to  sweei  'mang  prawns  wi'  gapin'  mou's. 
The  gourmands  stare  and  glut  the  mair,  syne  rage  and  fecht  and  drink, 
Till  nae  a  man  is  fit  to  stan'  or  limp  or  lisp  or  wink! 

V. 

Syne  Greed  guffaws  and  croosely  craws  and  in  her  fiendish  glee 
The  fun  arrests  and  droons  her  guests  like  sailors  in  the  sea. 
Then  brings  them  back  to  work  them  wrack  by  Indigestion's  aid, 
And  grins  again  to  note  their  pain  and  hoo  they've  been  betray'd. 
But  tho'  they  sweat  and  freeze  and  fret  wi'  fevers  and  wi'  chills, 
And  gripe  and  girn  and  curse  their  birn  o'  self-inflicted  ills; 
Wi'  faces  pale  and  limbs  as  frail  and  feckless  as  can  be 
The  Dish  and  Cup  still  buoys  them  up  while  they  can  hear  or  see; 
For  Greed  yet  reigns  in  a'  their  brains  and  letsna  up  her  sway 
Till  they  succumb,  deaf  blin'  and  dumb,  insensate  lumps  o'  clay! 

VI. 

What  if  the  Soul  greed  could  control  and  capture  in  her  snare! 
But  thank  the  Lord  sic  fate  abhorr'd  oor  minds  need  never  scare. 
For  aifter  death  has  stopped  oor  breath  nae  lust  can  hurt  or  hairm, 
Or  e'er  molest  whae'er  may  rest  in  God's  protecting  Airm; 
And  weel  it's  sae,  for  were  it  nae  and  Greed  could  pass  the  Grave 
Oor  pairts  divine  would  perish  syne  beneath  Oblivion's  wave! 

THE  OPENING  CENTURY  (p.  224). 

It  is  a  curiosity  of  literature— this  classical  Alcaic  Ode  in  fourteen 
stanzas,  written  by  a  nonagenarian  pontiff.  Its  virile  thought  finds 
poetic  expression  in  the  Greek  form  and  the  Latin  phrase  loved  of 
Horace  above  all  other  verse.  And  our  wonder  grows  Avhen  we  re- 
flect that  it  is  the  utterance  in  poetry  of  the  hard  lessons  of  a  long 
and  most  active  life  which  has  been  compelled  to  spend  its  energies 
on  the  issues  presented  by  a  whole  world  and  almost  a  century  of  its 
life.  In  addition  to  this,  a  pathetic  interest  attaches  to  it  in  the 
thought  that  it  shall  be  one  of  the  last  songs  of  its  august  author. 

3i3 


yoTus 


It  rapidly  became  a  curiosity  of  literature  for  another  reason. 
Two  distinguished  men  of  letters  concentrated  their  best  culture  on 
its  translation  into  English,  Andrew  Lang's  version  might  well  be 
an  original  song,  so  little  does  it  smell  of  midnight  oil.  And 
Francis  Thompson  had  almost  poetized  it  into  one  of  his  own  moods. 
Names  of  lesser  note  are  in  the  lengthening  list;  a  list  which  would 
doubtless  be  very  formidable  to  print,  were  an  accurate  canvass  to 
be  made  of  the  current  literature  of  other  tongues  than  English.  I 
have  not  made  it  my  concern  to  look  up  any  versions  but  English 
ones;  but  a  hint  of  tlieir  existence  has  been  furnished  to  me  by  an 
attempt  to  render  the  Ode  into  German  Alcaics,  which  I  find  in  the 
Kaiholisches  Kirchenblatt  of  Dresden,  a  copy  of  which  has  been  sent 
to  me  by  a  friend  (and  poet)  residing  in  that  city.* 

Despite  such  a  long  list,  a  writer  who  attempts  a  nev/  version 
should  really  find  some  more  cogent  excuse  than  the  goodliness  of 
the  company  in  whose  midst  he  sins;  neither  may  he  fairly  allege 
the  attractiveness  of  the  theme.  Gladstone,  it  must  be  confessed, 
achieved  a  task  requiring  the  fullest  courage  of  his  convictions  when 
he  ventured  to  publish  his  translations  of  the  Odes  of  Horace.  A 
long  series  of  poets  from  the  lordly  Milton  downwards  had  already 
essayed  the  high  emprise.  "Why,"  confessed  the  great  statesman, 
''why  add  to  the  number?"  Why,  indeed?  And  Gladstone  felt 
himself  under  a  gentle  compulsion  to  answer  his  own  query  at  some 
length.  His  reasons  must  be  those  of  the  present  writer,  who  also 
ventures  to  add  to  the  English  renderings  of  the  Pope's  Ode.  But 
one  of  these  reasons  may  be  pleaded  so  justly  in  the  present  case, 
that  a  prefatory  account  of  it  will  not  be  inappropriate. 

Gladstone  thought  that  in  translations  of  the  Horatian  Odes  the 
best  faithfulness  sliould  lie  in  the  direction  of  reproducing  the 
crystalline  sparkle  of  the  original  rather  than  its  material  bulk.  I 
state  liis  thought  crudely,  and  1  follow  it  but  partly.  It  has  seemed 
to  me  that  the  thought — the  essential  thought — of  the  Pope  might 
be  made  to  ''pack  more  neatly"  (to  quote  a  critical  phrase  of 
Lowell's)  in  an  English  stanza  of  much  shorter  syllabic  length  than 
the  original  Alcaic.  It  may  well  be  that  Lang  has  done  this  suc- 
cessfully and  once  for  all.  None  of  the  renderings  is  more  com- 
pressed than  his.  And  it  may  well  be  that  tlie  present  attempt  to 
lop  off' four  of  his  twenty-eight  syllables  has  resulted  in  a  mere  Jew 

*  Piistet  has  issued  a  collection  of  translations  of  the  Ode  into  twelve  dif- 
ferent tongues  of  Continentnl  Europe. 

314 


yOTES 


de  plume.  Francis  Thompson  allows  hirasolf  six  syllables  more  than 
Lang,  while  most  of  the  others  go  even  beyond  this  large  limit. 

It  will  perhaps  prove  interesting  to  compare  with  the  Alcaic  orig- 
inal of  forty -one  syllables  the  variously  ranging  lengths  of  the  trans- 
lations. As  the  strengtii  of  a  chain  is  the  strength  only  of  its  weak- 
est link,  the  stanza  chosen  here  for  illustration  is  the  fifth,  which, 
has  proved  a  veritable  crux  to  the  translators,  and  which  has  been 
both  strongly  and  weakly  "  done  into  English." 

In  the  original  this  runs: 

Vae  segregatis  Numiiie  legibus ! 
Quae  lex  honesti,  quae  superest  fides? 
I.'utant,  semel  submota  ab  aris, 
Atque  ruuut  labefacta  jura. 

It  is  a  curious  thing  that  in  both  of  the  prose  translations  pub- 
lished, larger  syllabic  limits  are  found  than  in  any  of  the  versified 
renderings — an  illustration  of  the  truth  that  while  prose  may  be  a 
good  way  of  saying  a  good  thing,  poetry  is  the  best  way  of  saying 
the  best  thing.  The  Daily  Express,  London,  used  forty-six  syl- 
lables: 

Woe !  to  all  laws  deprived  of  sacred  sanction ; 

"What  law  of  decorum,  or  what  sense  of  honor  now  remains? 

All  institvitions  nod  and  totter  to  *^heir  ruin 

When  once  removed  from  altars. 


syllables  less;  but  is  not  correct  in  translating  "  lionesti"  by  "good 
man:"  "  Alas  for  laws  turned  away  from  the  Deity!  What  law, 
what  faith  is  left  for  the  good  man  ?  As  soon  as  they  are  removed 
from  the  altars,  all  laws  totter  and  fall  into  ruin." 

In  verse,  the  highest  limits  run  but  to  forty  syllables.     The  fol- 
lowing is  by  the  Kev.  Father  Campbell,  S.  J.: 

Ill  fare  the  laws  from  which  God's  name's  erased ! 
All  honor  perishes  p.nd  mutual  trust : 
The  Rights  of  Man  are  trampled  in  the  dust; 

The  altar  shattered— Justice  dies  disgraced. 

The  only  woman  who  has  published  a  translation,  as  far  as  I  know, 
is  Fannie  Fenton  Bayne : 

^yoe  to  all  laws  divorced  from  sacred  right ! 

Honor,  decorum— who  their  bounds  may  tell? 

Far  distant  from  the  altar's  hallowed  spell 
All  institutions  rush  to  blackest  night ! 

315 


NOTES 


Four  syllables  less  are  found  in  the  version  of  Father  Corraican, 
S.  J. .  of  Boston  College : 

Woe,  woe  to  laws  divorced  from  God !    What  vow 
Is  kept,  what  rule  of  right  is  left  us  now  ? 
Exclude  the  Altar,  and  your  laws 
Have  shattered  every  sacred  cause. 

Francis  Thompson  contented  himself  with  two  syllables  less  than 
this  last  example : 

Alas  for  laws  dissociate  from  Awe ! 
What  rests  of  faith,  or  honorable  law? 
Rights,  from  the  altar  disallied, 
Nod,  and  to  ruin  slide. 

William  Hayes  Ward,  in  the  Independent,  uses  a  three-lined  stanza, 
of  thirty  syllables : 

Woe  when  man's  law  the  law  of  God  defies ! 

What  faith  can  stay,  once  from  God's  altar  rent? 
Then  justice  faints  and  falls,  and  honor  dies. 

Ten  syllables  have  thus  far  been  retrenched.  As  the  limit  de- 
creases, the  difficulty,  of  course,  increases.  Andrew  Lang  used  but 
twenty-eight  syllables  and,  with  slight  ambiguity  of  meaning,  moved 
with  evident  freedom  within  this  ''narrow  plot  of  ground"  : 

Woe  for  a  time  of  godless  laws ! 
■  <,  What  faith,  what  loyalty  abides? 

Torn  from  the  shrines  the  ancient  cause 
To  ruin  glides. 

Equal  limits  with  these  were  observed  by  the  Very  Eev.  William 
Byrne,  V.  G.,  of  Boston,  in  what  he  styled  a  '•  Free  Translation  " : 

Alas  for  laws 
Dissevered  from  the  base  of  law  divine : 
What  rights  secure  remain  to  me  or  mine, 

Or  God's  own  Cause? 

The  sequence  of  the  above  illustrations  is  logical,  not  chrono- 
logical. It  is  somewhat  strange  that  Lang  and  Thompson,  who  were 
first  in  the  field  and  who  were  content  to  move  within  narrow  limits, 
achieving,  withal,  such  notable  success,  should  have  been  followed 
by  so  many  wlio  either  repeated  or  exceeded  their  limits.  Perhaps 
the  desire  for  greater  literalness  was  the  motive.  But  has  not  the 
Ode's  pungency  been  lost  in  the  dilution  of  the  syllabic  vehicle?    It 

316 


NOTES 


should  be  remarked,  nevertheless,  that  this  fifth  stanza,  while  it  may 
properly  be  selected  as  typical  of  the  difficulties  encountered  in  trans- 
lation, can  sparcely  be  considered,  in  the  translations  given  above,  as 
typical  of  the  various  successes  achieved  by  the  authors  quoted.  At 
least  in  one  instance,  this  stanza  misrepresents  the  real  triumph  of 
literalness  found  in  one  of  the  longer-limit  versions.  It  may  be  dif- 
ficult to  retain 

"  With  the  flash  of  the  gem  its  solidity  too," 

as  Tom  Moore  not  seldom  was  able  to  do.  And  there  is  room  for 
the  two  classes  of  translators;  those  who  aim  principally  at  a  repro- 
duction of  the  thought  in  the  most  literal  exposition  possible  to 
patience  and  idiom,  and  those  whose  first  wish  is  to  effect  the  best 
compromise  between  literalness  and  beauty. 

The  present  translation  attempts  to  preserve  the  thought  of  the 
original  in  a  still  more  limited  stanza  than  that  of  Lang — four  sylla- 
bles being  lopped  off.  It  can  pretend  to  little  more  than  an  experi- 
ment in  compression,  and  may  serve,  perhaps,  to  illustrate  the  futil- 
ity of  such  experiments. 

INSCEIPTION  TO  HIS  MOTHER  (p.  240). 

The  inscription  is  illustrated  by  the  following  biographical  details, 
which  we  translate  from  De  T'  Serclaes  : 

"On  his  mother's  side,  Leo  XIII.  is  connected  with  a  family  cel- 
ebrated in  the  history  of  Rome  in  the  middle  ages.  Anne  Prosperi 
was  a  descendant  of  the  famous  Cola  da  Rienzi.  .  .  .  After  his 
death,  his  son  Angelo  fled  to  Cori  and  there  founded  a  family  under 
the  name  of  Prosperi,  as  P.  Sante  Lauriente  narrates  in  a  chronicle 
of  Cori  dedicated  in  1631  to  the  guardians  of  Rome:  '  Prosperi  an- 
tiquitus  vocabantur  Rientii,  ex  Nicolao  Rientio  Rom.  pop.  tribuno' 
(  Vita  populare  anedottica  del  Sommo  Pontefice  Leone  XIII. ,  published 
by  the  Roman  review,  La  Palestra  del  Clero). 

"  Anne  Prosperi,  countess  Pecci,  was,  in  tlie  fullest  meaning  of 
the  phrase,  a  strong  woman.  Her  portrait,  preserved  at  Carpineto, 
represents  her  in  an  attitude  at  once  dignified  and  attractive,  and 
displays  the  regularity  of  her  features  and  the  grace  of  her  whole 
person.  Sweet  and  firm  at  the  same  time,  she  knew  how  to  inspire 
her  children  with  the  virtue  she  herself  practiced.  Unceasingly  oc- 
cupied with  their  education  in  the  first  years  of  their  childhood,  so 
important  for  all  the  remainder  of  life,  she  produced  in  their  hearts 

317 


NOTES 


the  deep  sentiments  of  piety  and  charity  filling  her  own  breast. 
They  could  see  their  mother  frequently  visiting  and  consoling  the 
poor  of  Carpineto,  and  during  the  years  of  scarcity  afflicting  the 
country  at  this  time,  giving  food  daily  to  forty  of  fifty  needy  poor; 
they  could  admire  her  unshaken  confidence  in  God.  her  devotion  to 
Mary  and  the  Saints;  and  thus,  side  by  side  with  their  love  for  their 
motlier,  was  developed  in  them  both  a  love  for  that  God  whom  they 
saw  so  much  beloved  by  their  mother,  and  a  love  for  the  religion 
which  constituted  her  happiness  and  strength. 

"The  piety  of  the  Countess  Pecci  was  neither  high-minded  nor 
narrow.  She  never  allowed  it  to  hinder  her  assiduous  attention  to 
household  duties  and  to  the  temporal  interests  of  her  famil3\  Thus, 
she  introduced  into  Carpineto  the  breeding  of  silk-worms,  and 
practiced  on  a  grand  scale  this  remunerative  industry  whicli  after- 
wards attained  to  such  vast  proportions  in  Italy. 

"  Anne  Pecci  died  at  Rome  on  the  fifth  of  August.  1824,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Church  delle  Stimmate  ..."  (pp.  14  and  27). 

SUB  EFFIGIE  VIRGINIS  GUADALUPANAE  APUD 
MEXICOS  (p.  192). 

The  verses  were  written  for  the  coronation  of  '^  Holy  Mary  of 
Guadalupe,"  which  took  place  on  Saturday,  October  12th,  1895.  I 
am  indebted  for  the  following  illustrations  to  the  admirable  work  of 
the  Rev.  G.  Lee,  C.  S.  Sp.  {Our  Lady  of  America),  published  in 
1807: 

"That  American  Catholics  will  gain  much  by  an  intelligent  and 
affectionate  cherishing  of  Our  Lady's  American  title,  there  can  be  no 
reason  to  doubt.  .  .  .  Nor  should  it  escape  our  observation  that  if 
origin,  length  of  time,  nobility  of  record,  can  impart  and  interpret 
titular  characteristics,  then  Our  Lady's  title  of  Guadalupe  is  both 
sacredly  and  distinctively  American"  (p.  284). 

"Within  these  three  centuries  not  less  than  fifteen  Popes  have 
had  occasion  directly  or  indirectly  to  approve  of  the  devotions 
founded  on  the  Apparitions.  ...  It  may  be  remarked  also  that  it 
has  been  the  Popes  specially  distinguished  by  liturgical,  doctrinal, 
and  historical  research  and  decisiveness,  who  have  most  favored  the 
devotion  to  Holy  ^lary  of  Guadalupe.  And  among  these  the  reign- 
ing Pontiff"  is  })rominent.  lie,  more  perhaps  than  any  of  his  pre- 
decessors, has  officially  stamped  authenticity  on  the  living  American 

318 


NOTES 


tradition,  and  more  effectually  sanctioned  and  encouraged  the  ven- 
eration of  the  Picture"  (p.  16). 

"It  is  interesting  to  see  such  a  Poj^e  brought  into  contact  with  a 
many-sided,  delicately-venerable  question  like  that  of  Guadalupe. 
Here  vras  authorized  doctrine,  but  not  so  general  and  well-defined  as 
to  bear  all  treatment;  and  devotion  enthusiastic  but  jealously  sensi- 
tive; and  considerations  of  public  and  private  fitness,  as  well  as  of 
racial  and  national  partiality.  It  was  never  easy  to  legislate  for 
Guadulupe,  least  of  all  since  Benedict  XIV.  gave  it  so  high  an 
ecclesiastical  standing.  But  the  light,  strong  hand  of  Leo  XIII. 
has  magically  touched  the  sacred  subject,  and  has  beautified  what 
was  already  veJy  beautiful"  (p.  32). 

Pope  Leo  XIII.  enriched  with  some  special  additions  the  Office 
granted  by  Benedict  XIV.  The  Lessons  of  the  Second  2n  octurn  give 
a  concise  but  highly-interesting  narrative  of  the  historical  side  of  the 
devotion.  Father  Lee  furnishes  a  translation  of  these  (pp.  37-39). 
The  Pope  also  wrote  a  beautiful  Letter  (pp.  35-37)  and  approved 
the  ceremony  of  the  Coronation,  for  which  he  composed  the  Latin 
verses  given  in  our  text : 

''Leo  XIII.  had  sent  his  polished  Latin  distichs,  "which  the  dean 
of  the  Mexican  hierarchy,  the  renowned  Archbishop  of  Guadalajara, 
though  in  the  forty -fourth  year  of  his  episcopate,  undertook  to  inter- 
pret in  Spanish  verse  CVid.  Tiempo  Supl.,  Oct.  12,  '95).  The  lines 
of  these  two  most  venerable  men  have  such  ecclesiastical,  and  will 
have  such  historic  interest,  that  it  may  be  well  to  give  them  here 
with  a  free  English  rendering. 

' '  These  are  the  Pontiff's  lines: 

"  Mexicus  heic  populus  mira  sub  imagine  gaudet 
Te  colere,  alma  parens,  praesidioque  frui. 
Per  te  sic  vigeat  felix,  leque  auspice  Christi 
Immotam  servet  firmior  usque  fidem. 

—Leo  PP.  XIII. 

(Imagini  augustae  Mariae  D.  N.  Guadalupensis  in  IMexico  sub- 
scribendum.) 

Romae  ex  aedib.  Viatic,  die  XXVI  febr.  an.  MDcccvc. 
''Rendered  by  the  Archbishop  : 

"En  admirable  imagen, 
Santa  Madre  nuestra 
El  pueblo  Mexicano 
Gozoso  te  venera, 


319 


NOTES 


Y  tu  gran  patrocinio 

Con  gozo  y  gratitud  experimenta. 
Feliz  y  floreciente 
Por  ti  asl  permanesca 

Y  mediante  el  auxilio 
Que  benigna  le  prestas 
La  ffi  de  Jesueristo 

Fija  conserve  con  tenaz  firmeza. 

f  Pedro,  Arzdb.  de  Guadalajara. 

"In  thy  portentous  Picture  treasured  here, 
The  Mexic  race,  O  Gracious  Mother,  joys 
To  honor  thee  and  reap  the  golden  wealth 
Of  thy  unfailing  aid.    In  happy  strength 
Still  make  it  grow,  that  blessed  by  thee  it  hold 
In  ever  tightening  grasp  the  changeless  Faith  of  Christ "  (pp.  48,  49). 

The  marvellous  character  of  the  Picture;  the  testimonies  of  Artists 
who  scientifically  examined  the  texture  of  the  cloth;  the  vivid  col- 
oring; the  circumstances  of  the  place,  so  highly  unfavorable  to  col- 
oring or  texture;  the  remarkable  state  of  preservation  in  which  it 
still  is — all  these  interesting  inquiries  are  treated  fully  by  Fatlier  Lee 
in  Chapter  VIII.     I  shall  quote  but  one  paragraph: 

"In  the  Brief  of  Benedict  XIV.  we  find  quoted  these  remarkable 
words:  '  In  it  there  is  nothing  that  is  not  wonderful :  a  Picture  from 
flowers  gathered  in  midwinter  on  a  soil  entirely  sterile  and  fit  to 
bear  only  thorns:  on  a  cloth  so  thin  that  through  it  as  through  a 
lattice,  transennam,  the  temple  lay  easily  open  to  the  eyes :  and  that 
after  two  centuries  the  nitre  of  the  neighboring  lake,  which  erodes 
silver,  gold,  and  brass,  has  not  in  the  least  injured  its  supreme  beauty, 
summam pukhriludincm,  nor  its  most  vivid  colors'  "  (p.  115). 

GERTKUDI  STERBINIyE  (p.  242). 

The  memory  of  this  saintly  religieuse  is  enshrined  in  two  Latin 
elegies  (the  first  of  which  appears  also  in  an  Italian  version)  and  in 
a  stately  Inscription  (p.  242).  They  formed  the  contents  of  a  small 
but  elegant  volume  issued  by  the  Vatican  press,  and  were  reviewed 
in  the  Voce  dclla  Verila  by  Professor  Farabulini,  from  whose  critique 
the  following  details  are  taken.  The  Pope  wrote  them  "  in  the  name 
of  one  of  the  most  highly  esteemed  members  of  his  court,  the  Com- 
mendatore  Giulio  Sterbini,  and  dedicated  them  to  the  memory  of  a 
dear  sister  of  his  named  Barbara,  who,  on  entering  the  Roman  con- 
vent of  the  Visitation  Order,  received  the  name  of  Gertrude.     No 

320 


J^'OTES 


sooner  had  Monsignore  Pecci,  on  his  return  from  the  Belgian  Apos- 
tolic Xunciatura,  been  made  aware  of  the  excellent  dispositions  of 
the  voung  Sister,  than  he  perceived  the  saintly  possibilities  of  such 
a  soul,  and  began,  after  the  example  of  St.  Francis  de  Sales  and  St* 
Jane  Frances  de  Chantal,  to  fashion  it  by  wise  counsel  into  an  obe' 
dient  instrument  of  the  holy  Will  of  God.  .  .  .  Happy  this  angelic 
soul  to  have  such  a  panegyrist  !  She  will  still  live  in  his  verse  as  an 
example  for  those  who  shall  come  after  her.  Happy,  too,  her  brother 
Giulio,  his  family  and  his  descendants,  to  find  such  venerable  hands 
busied  in  the  erection  of  so  lasting  a  memorial  I  " 

The  Professor  considers  the  inscription  worthy  of  Morcelli — * '  e 
Morcelliana."  And  of  the  Latin  elegiacs  he  says  that  they  are 
"graceful  poetry,  rich  with  beautiful  imagery  and  loving  afiection." 
He  thinks  the  Italian  hendecasyllabics  both  faithful  to  the  thought 
of  the  original  and  elegant  from  the  standpoint  of  vernacular  poetry. 


Erratum  corrige:  Page  145,  title  should  be  "In  Upper  Car- 
pineto,'^  instead  of  "  In  Upper  Perugia." 


321 


